


Warriors: Broken Claws

by ShadowSnow



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Book Series: The New Prophecy, Fantasy, Gen, RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), ThunderClan (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:47:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 59,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26105956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowSnow/pseuds/ShadowSnow
Summary: The battle between Firestar and Tigerstar is on the horizon, but when the introduction of Bloodclan threatens to unravel the thin thread of trust between the members of the newly formed Lionclan, Fourtrees becomes a battleground between the clans. With no clear boundaries on friend or foe, Lionclan is defeated in a swift loss. Bramblepaw must now help lead the remnants of the clans away from the forest. With a vast world ahead of the remnants of the clans... Where else could these clan cats possibly go?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Allegiances

Thunderclan  
Leader – Firestar – Handsome Ginger Tom  
Apprentice – Bramblepaw  
Deputy – Whitestorm – Big white tom  
Medicine Cat – Cinderpelt – Dark gray she-cat  
Warriors   
Darkstripe – sleek black and gray tabby tom  
Apprentice, Fernpaw  
Longtail – Pale tabby tom, dark black stripes  
Mousefur – Small dusky-brown she-cat  
Apprentice, Thornpaw  
Brackenfur – Golden brown tabby tom  
Apprentice, Ashpaw  
Sandstorm – Pale ginger she-cat  
Graystripe – Long haired gray tom  
Frostfur – Beautiful white she-cat, blue eyes  
Goldenflower – Pale ginger she-cat  
Cloudtail – Long haired white tom  
Apprentices  
Thornpaw – Golden brown tabby tom  
Fernpaw – Pale gray with darker flecks, she-cat, pale green eyes  
Ashpaw – Pale gray with darker flecks, tom, dark blue eyes  
Bramblepaw – Dark brown tabby tom, amber eyes  
Tawnypaw – Tortoiseshell she-cat, green eyes  
Lostface – White she-cat, ginger splotches  
Queens  
Willowpelt – Very pale she-cat, unusual blue eyes  
Elders  
One-eye – Pale gray she-cat, oldest cat in Thunderclan, nearly blind and deaf  
Smallear – Gray tom with very small ears  
Dappletail – Once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, lovely dappled coat  
Speckletail – Pale tabby, oldest nursery queen

Shadowclan  
Leader – Tigerstar – Big dark brown tabby tom, unusually long front claws, formerly of Thunderclan  
Deputy – Blackfoot – Large white tom with jet black paws, formerly a rogue  
Medicine Cat – Runningnose – Small gray and white tom  
Warriors  
Oakfur – Small brown tom  
Littlecloud – Very small tabby tom  
Boulder – Skinny gray tom, formerly a rogue  
Russetfur – Dark ginger she-cat, formerly a rogue  
Apprentice, Cedarpaw  
Jaggedtooth – Huge tabby tom, formerly a rogue  
Apprentice, Rowanpaw  
Queens  
Tallpoppy – Long legged light brown tabby she-cat

Windclan  
Leader – Tallstar – Black and white tom, long tail  
Deputy – Deadfoot – Black tom with a twisted paw  
Medicine Cat – Barkface – short tailed brown tom  
Warriors  
Mudclaw – Mottled brown tom  
Webfoot – Dark gray tabby tom  
Tornear – Tabby tom  
Onewhisker – Brown tabby tom  
Apprentice, Gorsepaw  
Runningbrook – Light gray tabby she-cat  
Queens  
Ashfoot – Gray she-cat  
Morningflower – Tortoiseshell she-cat  
Whitetail – Small white she-cat

Riverclan  
Leader – Leopardstar – Unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat  
Deputy – Stonefur – Gray tom, battle scarred ears  
Apprentice, Stormpaw  
Medicine Cat – Mudfur – Long haired light brown tom  
Warriors  
Blackclaw – Smoky black tom  
Heavystep – Thickset tabby tom  
Apprentice, Dawnpaw  
Shadepelt – Very dark gray she-cat  
Mistyfoot – Dark gray she-cat, blue eyes  
Apprentice, Featherpaw  
Loudbelly – Dark brown tom  
Queens  
Mosspelt – Tortoiseshell she-cat

Bloodclan  
Leader – Scourge – Small black tom with one white paw  
Deputy – Bone – Massive black and white tom


	2. Prologue

A stream of white moonlight moved through the light branches hanging from the den entrance a few tail-lengths away. Gentle rays gleamed off pristine emerald-like eyes, the fiery orange fur glowing against the low moon rising just past the trees. The full moon hung in the sky like a mirror, the fiery orange cat kicking his hind leg briefly in a twitch as he practically scowled to himself. His body was refusing to acknowledge that sleep was necessary, but the upcoming bloodbath that would ensue the next day remained tied to his mind, unable to be shifted away to the back.  
Firestar eventually lifted his head, glancing behind himself as the fur along his back brushed against another she-cat, who lay directly beside him in a nest built slightly larger to accompany her. The orange-furred cat let out a long breath, slowly pulling himself out of the nest and stretching as best he could, his hind end raised with his tail straight in the air and his claws scratching the dirt lightly beneath his paws.  
Sorry, Sandstorm, but I don’t think I can sleep tonight knowing that I am leading a charge into battle tomorrow, Firestar quietly told himself, glancing back to the she-cat. His eyes softened in a melted love, his claws extending momentarily as he watched the she-cat sleep soundly. How can you rest so easy? Firestar asked without opening his mouth, feeling his tongue was dry. He didn’t bother sitting yet, his mind swirling now with different emotions. He loved Sandstorm, and he loved his clan. Even if they didn’t entirely respect him, many have been able to look beyond Firestar’s past. I cannot fail, these cats need me, and so do the other clans. They all need me to be the leader of my clan tomorrow, and I will not fail. I cannot fail. Starclan will not let me fail.  
Firestar brought his gaze to the light vine structure that was holding just over the den entrance. His gaze didn’t go back to Sandstorm.  
“I’ll be back,” he promised in a quiet whisper, tail flicking from his left to right side as he slipped outside the leaders’ den and glanced around. The camp was quiet, each den had no noise coming from it. Firestar didn’t get it; how could all these warriors not be nervous for a battle the next day? Especially such a large one, they had to prepare for the worst, but Firestar still didn’t understand it all. This wasn’t just some tension between two clans, this was Lionclan versus the blight that was Tigerstar.  
Then his green gaze caught movement on the edge of the camp, along the thicket that encompassed the entire camp in protection. The gorse tunnel shuffled lightly as the silhouette of another cat disappeared through it, having come from inside the camp.  
Maybe I’m not the only one, but I should follow just in case. Firestar wouldn’t want a Bloodclan spying on them so close to the date of Lionclans’ answer. He stalked quietly across the grass, every step feeling cool against his paws and almost relaxing. Albeit his body remained tense, spine raised slightly and his eyes watching the gorse tunnel with intensity now.  
As his paws reached the entrance to the camp, Firestar leaned down and sniffed the thicket and the paw steps that remained behind from the silhouette. Immediately, his body relaxed lightly, able to tell it was the thick scent of Bramblepaw’s. His gaze watched the tunnel, wondering just what Bramblepaw would be doing in the middle of the night like this. Firestar had two ideas, but he wasn’t sure about either of them. The leader would take care of the situation, however, and all Firestar could hope for was that this was just midnight jitters from the idea of fighting…  
Bramblepaw had never been part of such a huge battle, should he leave Bramblepaw behind? It was a solution he could certainly use, and Firestar contemplated it as he pushed through the defensive thicket, expertly weaving past any thorns and undergrowth. Even if his pelt snagged on a thorn or anything of the sort, Firestar had grown accustomed to them, and so had his pelt. Thorns rarely snagged for more than the briefest of heartbeats.  
Upon exited the tunnel, Firestar looked up the ravine, eyes dilating and easily able to see a tail move past the top of the ravine and beyond the dark green undergrowth. It slipped away like a snake, Firestar sighing and proceeding to climb his way to the top. His paws made no mistakes, his body weaving up like a long blade of grass, not even getting dirt on his pelt once he made it to the top. His coat was as pristine as when he cleaned it during dusk before, and his eyes glowed in the darkness as he attempted to follow Bramblepaw’s thick scent against the air.  
The forest was so lively in the middle of the night, Firestar’s ears perking as he listened to the little bugs floating away from leaves, leaving them to swish lightly and push the wind. Few birds chirped in the trees, and he could hear the call of an owl in the distance. The sound made his spine tingle, but he pushed his memories back and kept his focus on Bramblepaw, tailing his apprentice from quite a distance.  
Bramblepaw’s scent remained thick in the air, however, so it made it simple and easy for Firestar to follow the young cat…  
Before long, he realized Bramblepaw was heading towards the gathering place of the four clans. Fourtrees. The distance wasn’t long, but a middle of the night trek through the woods would regard it as a pretty long distance. Firestar slowly began to close the distance between himself and Bramblepaw, he didn’t know what they would see at Fourtrees, but he did know that they were getting rather far from camp. Getting caught out here, or at Fourtrees, by Tigerstar wasn’t what he needed. Especially for young Bramblepaw…  
By the time Firestar had caught up, he saw young Bramblepaw’s silhouette sitting atop the hill overlooking Fourtrees. The apprentice had a lowered head, his amber gaze watching Fourtrees with sorrow behind the amber eyes.  
Firestar leaned down a bit, he could tell from the twitching whiskers and the curled down lips that Bramblepaw was upset. Something must’ve come to mind during the night, the midnight jitters could get anyone, but Firestar could tell this was different. And those eyes…  
He is nothing like Tigerstar, Firestar was reminded of. Tigerstar’s amber gaze never showed such signs of compassion or love or such. To Firestar, Tigerstar was on the teetering edge of being unredeemable. A monster with no soul, a heart of bloodlust and power looking only for control. With that in mind, Bramblepaw was the exact opposite, seeming more like his mother day by day. The cat had strength in his muscles, a few moons from now and he would be competing with Firestar just in strength training alone. His claws were long, but Bramblepaw didn’t enjoy fighting day to day. The clan even looked at him like they once looked at Firestar.  
Scorn.  
Hatred.  
Unlovable.  
That was not what Firestar saw in the apprentice. Bramblepaw was so unlike Tigerstar that only their pelts were similar, but the way they reacted to things was entirely different. Even with a few of Bramblepaw’s outbursts of rage, it was because of how the rest of the clan treated him that forced the apprentice to react in such ways.  
Instead of just greeting himself like he normally would, Firestar just padded his way up the hillside and planted his tail end on the ground, sitting beside his apprentice and watching the stars.  
Bramblepaw practically jumped as he did, not having been paying attention to his surroundings and his fur on-end as his eyes widened… until he realized who had sat beside him. There was a moment of hesitation before the apprentice sat back down, his thick tabby pelt looking rather frazzled for a moment as he took a deep breath. The apprentice shivered quietly in the night, and Firestar felt it was nicer to just break the ice now.  
“A nice night, is it not?” He spoke softly, keeping his voice low so that it may not carry farther than necessary for his apprentice to hear.  
A few heartbeats of pause, but Firestar kept his gaze on the sky, Bramblepaw would respond on his own time. After all, he had scared the poor cat out of his wits.  
“I… I guess so,” Bramblepaw stammered momentarily, his gaze looking up to the stars now as his ears lowered.  
“Why are you up so late?” Firestar asked, remaining entirely relaxed with Bramblepaw by his side. He could trust the apprentice, he knew he could. Bramblepaw wasn’t a threat to him, the cat was his own cat. Not his father’s. “You need to rest for tomorrow… Why don’t you tell me what is really on your mind, if you don’t mind me asking?”  
The dark tabby watched Firestar for a while, only turning his gaze away as he finally responded. “I miss Tawnypaw…” the young cat mumbled, his voice trailing off momentarily as he admitted to missing his sister, as if it was a sign of weakness.  
Keep going, Firestar urged without speaking, knowing full well that Bramblepaw had more on his chest to talk about.  
“I miss my sister,” Bramblepaw repeated, shuffling his paws against the grass awkwardly. “I know she betrayed Thunderclan, but I can’t help but want her back with us. And…” Another heartbeat of pause, the cat looking more nervous now. “I know what I have to do tomorrow. I know I have to stand against my father, I know what he is. Even if he is my father, blood means nothing without a good relationship behind it.”  
“Wise words,” Firestar admitted as he looked down to Bramblepaw, noticing the cat was anxious and his gaze was lowered. “No one in Thunderclan can convince you of a path you do not believe in,” Firestar continued as he looked down to Fourtrees. “But likewise, your father cannot do the same to you. Only you can choose a path you think is necessary. Take me for example… It took moons and moons before most of Thunderclan accepted my existence, and even then, only a few tolerated me. Bluestar taking ill like she did, I sometimes think it was a mistake to name me deputy of the clan. Yet I am more than willing to lead my clan into battle, because I know the toll it will take on us all if Tigerstar gets his claws on some of us.” Firestar glanced back to Bramblepaw, who was now looking up to Firestar. “Everyone’s fates rests in the battle tomorrow, and everyone’s decision making will be the rules of the future. The choices I make are just as impactful as yours, Bramblepaw… Maybe tomorrow, you can convince your father to forego his need for vengeance for you, or maybe not. I couldn’t tell you what will and what won’t work… I don’t know everything.”  
“You’re a leader, you should know what to do,” Bramblepaw claimed, his ears perked and head tilted just ever so slightly.  
“I haven’t been a leader long,” Firestar pointed out. “And just because I was given nine lives doesn’t mean I was given extra power or anything of the sort. I’m still just as clueless sometimes, but I know I have a duty to my clan. Not just my clan, but those affected by my clan. If I kill, it needs to be in the name of protecting our innocent ones, to protect our queens and our warriors. I must be willing to lay down my life… all of my lives… in the name of Thunderclan, and of other clans when it comes down to it as well.” Firestar’s ear flicked. “I want peace, just as much as everyone else does. This is a terrifying time, but you are important to me and I want you to understand that your happiness and well-being is my responsibility too.”  
Bramblepaw stared into Firestar’s gaze for a short while, but he slowly brought his gaze down to Fourtrees, his tail flicking slowly. There was a long silence from the apprentice as the words sunk in, before he spoke again, his voice a bit more hardened.  
“I can’t let my feelings for family get in the way of Thunderclan,” he stated. Firestar could almost feel the heat of the intensity in his voice. “If we must fight against my father tomorrow, then so be it. If I can’t convince Tawnypaw to join us again, then… I will fight her until she is unable to fight.” Now Firestar could see Bramblepaw’s claws dig into the earth. “I can’t let someone else fight her, they might kill her if they do. I will not, I don’t want to kill.”  
I can’t guarantee that, Firestar thought with a slight frown, but quickly turned it into a smile. “You will make a wonderful warrior someday, Bramblepaw,” he replied as he looked back up to the stars as well. “Starclan watch over us all, and hopefully we all survive tomorrow. I know I trained you well, remember that training.”  
Bramblepaw gave a fortified nod, the young cat taking a deep breath.  
I don’t like where this is going, but I’m starting to think our fates will one day rest on him, Firestar thought quietly, keeping his words to himself. He’s so young, but I can’t force him to stay. He’s old enough to make his own decisions, and I cannot protect him from his father any longer. If Tigerstar refuses to back down, then I will use everything I have to take him down.  
Firestar slowly stood up. “Come on, let’s head back to camp. The cold air is reaching my bones.” Without looking to see if Bramblepaw had followed, Firestar began to lead the way back down the hill, away from Fourtrees.  
He could hear Bramblepaw moving behind him, the heavy paw steps relaxed Firestar.  
I’m not alone in this fight, either. I have a whole clan beside me, ready to help me fight Tigerstar… Hopefully it is enough.  
They disappeared into the trees, the last time they would see Fourtrees in such a peaceful light…


	3. 1: Bloodshed

A warm early morning light cast into the near empty apprentices’ den, blinding Bramblepaw’s half open gaze as he gently pulled his face away from the beam of light and glanced to the entrance. The other apprentices had left already, their scents lingering in the den as Bramblepaw glanced around. A frown remained against his lips, curling down lightly against his cheek fur. At a distance, one could barely tell if he was frowning or not, since his fur had grown in thick like his fathers had.  
Today was it. A sun-high, everyone would be in the full moon gathering place, Fourtrees, with the clans behind them. Firestar had already made the decision to go against Shadowclan, to go against Riverclan, as Thunderclan and Windclan united. Bramblepaw understood the reasoning, Tigerstar was nothing more than a monster, especially to Thunderclan. The talk with Firestar the night before had solidified that in Bramblepaw’s mind, but that didn’t still mean he wished to fight against his own father, evil as he was. The man was a demon in hunger for power, and Bramblepaw couldn’t help but wish his father just ceased to exist.  
A wish that wouldn’t come true so easily, and Bramblepaw wouldn’t be here now if his father didn’t exist at all… Did that excuse what lives could potentially be lost today? No, if a life gets lost today, it was because of a long line of decisions that allowed Bramblepaw to be born, and for Tigerstar to claim the leadership of Shadowclan.  
His paws almost trembled with fear, Bramblepaw forcing himself to sit still for a brief moment before letting out his fears in a shake of his pelt. He could hear the clan mingling in the clearing just outside, everyone getting ready for the onslaught. If the other apprentices were out there already… there was no point in keeping everyone waiting.  
Making sure his pelt was clean of moss, Bramblepaw slipped outside of the den and glanced around, his amber gaze being sure to acknowledge everyone in the clearing… He didn’t want anyone dying, but even Firestar’s reassurance that they would make it when they were returning to camp wasn’t easing his mind of his worries. All these warriors and every single one could be gone by nightfall; their bodies could litter the Fourtrees clearing and Bramblepaw might be alone… Or he might become one with the stars if he wasn’t strong enough.  
Bramblepaw took in a long breath, forcing himself to stand strong with his beliefs. Nothing would let him waver from his position as he glanced over to the leader rock, where Firestar sat atop. Green grassy eyes met Bramblepaw’s fiery amber, Firestar had been watching his apprentice, but Bramblepaw didn’t know for how long.  
There was a moment before Firestar gave Bramblepaw a reassuring smile again. How could Bramblepaw resist enjoying such reassurance? Firestar was the leader of Thunderclan, and he knew the difference of right and wrong.  
Bramblepaw smiled back, seeing the strong leader nod with approval before opening his mouth.  
“All cats old enough to catch their own prey come to the rock for a clan meeting!” Firestar called out over the many different cats who were already gathered. In reality, everyone in the clan was already attending, they were waiting for the words from Firestar himself that they were heading out… Bramblepaw sat and awaited his mentors’ message, feeling his heart beat in his chest roughly. Anxiety was clawing at his pelt…  
The anxiety had already reached Bramblepaw’s stomach, the apprentice unable to think about the fresh-kill pile that seemed meager with the morning… Though even one vole felt like it would make Bramblepaw implode on himself, so he opted to forego any eating. He would slowly stalk his way up to the group of cats, sitting behind the warriors of Thunderclan as they stood tall.  
Firestar’s green gaze rested on the cats of Thunderclan, and Bramblepaw could tell the former kittypet-turned-warrior-turned-leader was thinking about how he got into this position… How could he protect the clan he grew to love most?  
“I want everyone to listen, and listen closely,” Firestar began as both ears of his flicked momentarily. His voice had the leadership tone that Bramblepaw remembered Bluestar having before she turned on the clan itself and practically went pure paranoia. “Today… we go to Fourtrees and give Tigerstar our final answer. Shadowclan and Riverclan have joined forces, which I’m sure all of you already know.” Murmurs moved through the clan, but they were quickly quieted, the clan’s anxiety rippling through the fur of every warrior. They could feel it too, the air felt humid and warm. “But Windclan and Thunderclan, we make up the bulkhead that is Lionclan. Tallstar and I both passionately believe that there should be four clans in the forest, not two, not one, not three. There isn’t a place for just one ruler and one clan here, this forest is ours.”  
More murmurs, but they were louder, Bramblepaw able to hear the anxiety slowly seeping away. Almost as if everyone’s anxieties were being repressed or being pulled away into the ground, disappearing forever.  
“We are not just Thunderclan, we are just a root that all clans survive on as they have from the very beginning!” Firestar continued, pressing his left paw forward and standing. The sun burned into his coat, making the leader glow in what seemed like heated fire. This was the cat that was born to lead Thunderclan, Starclan made sure of that… “With our might, I know we can subdue this threat. I do not believe Riverclan will stand for Tigerstar’s reign much longer, but when I choose to refuse Tigerstar’s proposition of one clan… I do it standing with warriors, cats with homes they’re ready to defend. Warriors who won’t bow down to just one ideal. Warriors who care for each other and warriors who know what the Code really means.” Firestar narrowed his gaze, baring his teeth momentarily, as if to show his might. “We will not bow down to Tigerstar and his sadistic power fantasies!”  
Several of the warriors had begun standing up, each captivated by Firestar’s speech, and they began to howl in agreement. Heads were now raised, teeth bared and claws scraping the dirt. Their howls made Bramblepaw feel a little more comfortable, but he was still feeling his heartbeat within his chest, pressing against his fur and his ears hyper-focusing on Firestar, as did his gaze.  
Firestar let the cats calm on their own, his tail raised as he relaxed and leaned back a bit… Bramblepaw couldn’t help but wonder if Firestar meant to get so riled up during his own speech, but it was nice to see that the leader wasn’t immune to his own charm.  
“Cloudtail, Graystripe,” he called out. Both warriors came forward, their gazes on Firestar with intensity and ferocity. Though Graystripe a little less. “I want both of you to stick behind in camp in case something goes wrong. Protect the queens and the elders, and we will be back by sundown.”  
Neither warrior made a motion to try and object, though Bramblepaw could see that Cloudtail was annoyed he wouldn’t be going to battle the biggest threat to the clans, period. Yet unlike the old Cloudtail, who would’ve reveled in going against what Firestar said, the warrior gave a polite bow and quickly backed away along with Graystripe. Both male warriors moved to the back of the clan, nudging the queens, and getting them into the nursery den as rapidly as they could before standing guard in the shade close by.  
Bramblepaw glanced back up to the leader, who continued to stand tall. “Any other warriors will be gathering with us, if you have any questions, speak now.”  
An eerie silence hung over the clearing, but Bramblepaw could see that each warrior in the clan was looking up to Firestar, their eyes filled with an intenseness that Bramblepaw could not share with them. He was terrified though he knew he was going to be with Firestar, helping lead.  
I wonder if he is still terrified, Bramblepaw wondered as he noticed Firestar’s gaze moving over each cat in the clan.  
The silence was once again filled, the vacuum gone. “Then follow me to Fourtrees and pray to Starclan we can end this peacefully. If blood does not have to be spilled, we should not spill it.” The mass of orange fur hopped down, weaving past several warriors. At this point, Bramblepaw was able to see Whitestorm, the huge white tom was travelling just behind Firestar and moving through the crowd of warriors swiftly and easily. Neither were blocked, and both padded their ways to the gorse tunnel without interference.  
Bramblepaw scrambled up, standing on all four paws, and feeling his anxieties sift away. He couldn’t think about Tawnypaw, his focus had to be on the battle and surviving what was to come…  
The apprentice remained a few tail-lengths behind Firestar, making sure to give the fiery-pelted cat some space to speak with his deputy if need be. Bramblepaw found it odd that all the apprentices were also coming along, but he didn’t question it as much as he probably should have. Their first real battle, for most of them, including himself now at this point. A couple border skirmishes, but an all-out war felt inevitable…  
Tigerstar won’t listen to me, Bramblepaw thought with a sigh. His kin don’t matter to him, not even Goldenflower matters to him anymore. He’s a demon to the clans, even if I wish he were there… Bramblepaw looked up, his amber gaze feeling glazed over as Firestar’s orange fur reflected its fiery nature towards Bramblepaw. Why should I care about Tigerstar? If anything, Firestar has been a better father to me than Tigerstar had ever been. He’s a traitor, Firestar is my mentor… Bramblepaw shook his head slowly, regaining his senses as the Thunderclan warriors trekked their way through the forest.  
Ears perked and claws extended, scratching the dirt with every step, the clan didn’t bother stopping until they reached the overlook of Fourtrees. Firestar stood atop the hill and glanced back to the clan, head leaning down, and his eyes narrowed.  
“Longtail, Mousefur, Goldenflower, keep Thornpaw, Ashpaw, and Fernpaw back by this hill and stay hidden. You will be our second wave of attackers; we need you fresh and ready when we call on you. Keep an eye on the situation, assess it like you would a normal battle. If things out there are too rough, start dragging the injured away. Cinderpelt!” The she-cat lifted her head as her name was called, and like everyone else, her eyes remained hardened. Everyone was prepared for the worst… “You stay with them, and use Ashpaw or Fernpaw as a runner to go back to camp if you run out of supplies. The rest of you-,” Firestar’s gaze now travelled over the warriors. “Maybe Starclan guide us, and may we walk down the correct path today.”  
Bramblepaw turned to the warriors and apprentices who were staying behind, his gaze watching them before he took a deep breath and gave them a smile. “Good luck out there,” he told them, trying to keep his voice cheerful and his lips in a smile.  
The team staying behind watched Bramblepaw for a heartbeat, their tails flicking in a show of irritation. Bramblepaw knew it wasn’t with himself, it was with all of this. Everyone was irritated, on edge, and he felt the soft touch of a nose to his ear. Cinderpelt’s sweet and herb-like scent wafted over the apprentice, and he took it in gladly. Even though Bramblepaw had a distaste for herbs – like most cats would – the scent provided him a calming and relaxed state of mind.  
“We should be saying that to you,” Cinderpelt mumbled as she pulled her head away from Bramblepaw.  
You were Firestar’s first apprentice, Bramblepaw thought. You should be in my position, preparing to fight the worst battle, while I stayed behind. But here you are, trying your best with a hurt leg. You’re strong, I guarantee stronger than most of the clan. “Thank you,” Bramblepaw purred softly, half-heartedly. He backed away, noticing the rest of the clan was starting to move away and towards Fourtrees. “I will be sure to come back alive,” Bramblepaw promised before turning away, running to catch up with the main warrior force…  
Bramblepaw slipped through the warriors, heading back up to the front as to be near Firestar, knowing his presence would be a necessary component to trying to finish this battle before it began.  
Scents began washing over the air, the thick fish-like scent of Riverclan was light but there. Bramblepaw began to see warriors gathering amongst the Fourtrees and the Great Rock, their silhouettes keeping closer to the rare undergrowth. A few cats sat atop the Great Rock, and Bramblepaw knew the glowing pair of amber eyes at the top like he knew his fur. The dark tabby was watching Thunderclan approach, a demonic smirk plastered to his face like fur sticks to the pelt.  
He thinks he’s won, Bramblepaw thought, feeling his claws flex and dig into the ground. His eyes watched the force of Riverclan and Shadowclan, seeing that they too had brought large groups of warriors with them. They had been expecting a fight just as much as Firestar had, no side was oblivious to the intentions of others. Riverclan seems a little light on warriors, Bramblepaw thought to himself, wondering just where the rest of the Riverclan warriors could have been. How could this go so far? How could Tigerstar gain so much power? The moons had been quite kind to the dark tabby Shadowclan leader, who remained where he sat. The smirk had now become a smug look, Windclan still hadn’t arrived yet.  
Firestar and Whitestorm stood below the rock; their paws planted to the ground as they stood defiantly to Tigerstar. No one spoke as the sun continued to rise, now standing far above their heads as sun-high was soon approaching. The time of the final decision was almost upon them…  
It wasn’t long before Windclan’s familiar windy scents travelled into Fourtrees, several warriors appearing from the fields. Tallstar’s familiar black and white fur appeared first and foremost, leading his clan as he stood by Firestar and Whitestorm, with his own deputy – Deadfoot – by his side. The four of them kept their gazes on Tigerstar, and Bramblepaw quickly tore his gaze away from the scene, scanning the warriors that Tigerstar had with him.  
Leopardstar was sitting beside the rock, not on it, with her gaze shifted away from the other clan leaders. She didn’t dare acknowledge them, as if she were ashamed to have joined Tigerstar at all…  
Most of the warriors in the clearing were of Shadowclan, the pine needle scent and the light mud on their paws revealing that quite well. But one cat caught Bramblepaw’s attention, a silhouette sitting just behind the rock with a dark pair of eyes and a single white forepaw. Only his head could be seen, but Bramblepaw felt the fur on his neck stand on end just from seeing him. Who was that? Bramblepaw couldn’t recognize this cat at all…  
“I hope you all travelled here with good news to tell?” Tigerstar broke the still silence in the air, the friction of cats tensing amongst all clans becoming quite apparent. Bramblepaw stood just beside Brightheart, her one eye trained on Tigerstar along with the clan leaders. “Tigerclan needs to become stronger to sustain all the territory it will soon have, after all.”  
Firestar and Tallstar both glanced to each other, then they both looked up.  
“Thunderclan respectfully declines your offer,” Firestar stated simply.  
“Windclan will also decline your offer,” Tallstar agreed. Both their tails flicked, but neither had their fur raised and they awaited Tigerstar’s response.  
“I thought that would be the case,” Tigerstar replied as he nonchalantly hopped off the rock and stretched. He was a rather large cat, standing well above both Tallstar and Firestar. Any cat probably could mistake Tigerstar for the big cats of legend, though then again… In comparison, he was probably rather small. “I’m quite disappointed that both of you decided to reject my offer. You too, Tallstar? I don’t understand what is so wrong with uniting under one clan name, we don’t need to meet up on full moons here as often. Cats can love cats from other clans without worrying about clan differences. After all, we know what happened with Graystripe.”  
Firestar’s tail twitched; Tigerstar had struck a nerve.  
“I guess it can’t be helped, how about I sweeten the deal just a little bit?” Tigerstar replied as he raised his tail, before giving it a swift flick from his left to his right side. The smug look returned, the amber eyes giving off a sheen of ghastly intent that struck Bramblepaw to his core… And he wasn’t even looking at the leader directly.  
As soon as the tail flicked, a loud howl rang throughout the trees, several eyes seeming to pop into existence from the branches of the trees themselves. Some of the eyes dropped down, revealing many more cats who were covered in various scratches and claw markings. Bramblepaw even recognized what some wore, which upon closer inspection, were collars.  
That was when the black cat from behind the rock came out to reveal himself, standing much smaller than Firestar, let alone Tigerstar himself. A purple collar was fastened to his neck, and Bramblepaw couldn’t suppress the shiver as he looked closer. Teeth were poked through the collar, dozens of them… At least two layers around the entire collar. Bramblepaw could see that they were each of different sizes, some were exceptionally large, probably dog teeth. What kind of beast was this small cat to be able to have dog teeth on him?  
“Enough with the introductions, Tigerstar,” the small cat meowed to the dark tabby. “We are here for business, nothing more. If they won’t join us-”  
“They will.”  
Bramblepaw saw Firestar’s reaction, even Tallstar’s. Both had widened eyes, their ears pinned back momentarily before their gazes shot back to Tigerstar, narrowed and confused.  
“Tigerstar… Who are these cats?” Firestar questioned with a slight hostility to his voice. “These aren’t clan cats.”  
“I don’t know what you mean, Firestar,” Tigerstar grinned with the slight tilt of his head. “This is Bloodclan and their leader, Scourge. They will be sharing this forest along with us, as part of Tigerclan.” Scourge raised the whiskers above his right eye, but didn’t say anything to interrupt the conversation. Bramblepaw felt his body tremble at the sight of all these cats… The force was huge, bigger than Windclan and Thunderclan combined, and maybe even the Shadowclan warriors too.  
They’re rogues, Bramblepaw realized. Clan cats wouldn’t dare wear kittypet collars, but those collars aren’t normal. They kill, and I’m assuming they kill for sport if they use teeth like trophies.  
“Even were we to join you, there isn’t enough territory for a fifth clan of cats!” Tallstar claimed with his teeth bared. “Tigerstar, you mouse-brain! What kind of decision did you make regarding these cats? Unless they were to travel to the territory opposite Shadowclan’s territory, we can’t share any place here with them! These territories can only support so many cats at any given time!”  
Tigerstar shrugged. “I think you need to relax, Tallstar.”  
“Is that true?” the small black cat spoke up, dark eyes on Tigerstar now. “You said there was enough territory for Bloodclan to thrive, but your enemies here think there isn’t enough room. I was told we wouldn’t have to live on trash like we did living in the alleyways of the furless twolegs.”  
“Hm?” Tigerstar glanced to Scourge. “Of course there is enough room for Bloodclan, the territories are large, especially if we are going to be fighting here today. I assumed some cats would die, meaning more hunting space and fresh kill for the cats who are here. I hope you aren’t thinking I would betray you, Scourge,” Tigerstar narrowed his dark amber gaze.  
The little black cat kept his eyes narrowed and his voice firm. “My scouts have already patrolled these territories, and they came back with some rather interesting information. While true that the four territories for your clans combined are rather large, they would only support so many cats. Knowing how many cats are in my group, we believe there isn’t enough room for the five groups to stick around. One of you has to go, in fact…” Scourge unsheathed his claws into the dirt, scraping deep into the soil. “I would reckon two or three clans would have to go, Tigerstar. And I don’t plan on giving up the territory that you promised me.”  
Bramblepaw noticed the Leopardstar was beginning to seem more nervous, her pupils dilated on Scourge and her spotted pelt barely moving, she was hardly breathing at all.  
No one was expecting this clan, but Leopardstar knew. She would be in on it, but she seems scared to face off against so many cats. Bramblepaw dug his own claws into the soil, his body tensing. The friction was beginning to reach critical mass.  
“Of course, we wouldn’t just ditch you or betray you, Scourge, I gave you my word and I intend to keep it.”  
“Tigerstar, I don’t think you believe that one bit,” Firestar spoke up now, his voice just as firm and the shock of Bloodclan arriving affecting the leader less and less. He was calm, and it seemed he was choosing his words cautiously. “You’ve lived in these territories for many, many moons. You know that these territories are constantly fought over, that clans will dispute over something as little as Sunrock between Riverclan and Thunderclan. The only territory we have ever fully agreed upon is that Fourtrees is a peaceful place, where we don’t need to fight. So you’re lying as of this very moment, saying these forests and wildlands can support another clan… It’s wrong. I’m sorry, Scourge,” Firestar turned his gaze to the little black cat. “Tigerstar has certainly lied to you; your scouts were correct. Not only do these clans not want you here, but I think Tigerstar planned on uniting the four clans of us together to drive you and your cats back out. These lands aren’t for you.”  
A silence hung between them, Scourge’s eyes on Firestar. It was difficult to read what was on the cat’s mind, but his ears were perked, and he seemed rather relaxed for someone telling him the bad news. It gave the cat a more sophisticated but darker look, one that Bramblepaw didn’t want to see.  
As his gaze moved away to glance at the other cats, he spotted a familiar pelt in the crowd. A tortoiseshell cat with green eyes was lightly crouched near the Great Rock, and Bramblepaw stepped forward.  
Without thinking, his voice left him on its own.  
“Tawnypaw!”  
The clearing went silent, and the green gaze locked onto Bramblepaw. The apprentice he had named slowly stepped forward, as if having been summoned from her corner to keep her gaze on Bramblepaw. Tawnypaw remained silent, however, her fur on end and her tail flicking. What was she thinking…?  
Tigerstar seized the moment, standing up and looking over to Bramblepaw. “Hey there, Bramblepaw, it is very nice to see you again. You’ve grown mighty big, haven’t you? I haven’t seen you since you were a little kit. Tawnypaw here, however… She joined me and you wouldn’t, why not? I miss you, Bramblepaw, and she does too.” Tawnypaw’s gaze shifted downwards now. “Bramblepaw, won’t you come be with your family? We do love and care for you, after all.”  
Bramblepaw shakily brought his gaze to Tigerstar, eyes wide. What was he to do…? He didn’t want to fight his own littermate, he wanted to understand her, and he brought his attention directly back to Tawnypaw. “Why did you leave?” he asked the she-cat.  
The space between the two of them was clear, and Tawnypaw didn’t raise her gaze for several heartbeats. Bramblepaw could feel the eyes on them but it didn’t matter, only her answer did.  
“Thunderclan hates us, Bramblepaw,” Tawnypaw claimed, her head raising as she glared at Firestar. “They hate us because they think our father is evil, that he is just some murderer. They thought we would become just like him, Bramblepaw,” Tawnypaw hissed, her gaze landing on Bramblepaw as he lightly leaned back, no longer standing on four paws, one paw raised in front of his chest. “What’s so wrong with being like Tigerstar, huh?” she spat. “I’d rather be like him than suffer with the glares, and you should too, Thunderclan wasn’t for me and it isn’t for you! Tigerstar is right, you should join us! Come with me back to Shadowclan, you’ll be a great warrior under Tigerstar’s instruction!”  
Bramblepaw felt shaky, his paw lowering. His claws no longer were extended, and his ears pinned back. Tawnypaw felt so sure that they were hated, that the clan despised them, but unlike her… He pushed through to them, showed the clan he had compassion, even if he had outbursts, Bramblepaw knew that the clan cared about him.  
“No,” Bramblepaw stated simply as he brought his gaze up to Tawnypaw. “I’m not joining Shadowclan. I’m not joining Tigerclan. I’m not becoming like Tigerstar, because I am not him. I am not a murderer; we know cats who are trustworthy, but you choose to trust the cat who was banished just because you’re related?” Bramblepaw shook his head, tail thrashing and spine lightly raised. “I’m sorry, Tawnypaw, but I can’t join a clan that clearly is using force to get what it wants. I won’t join Tigerstar, and I won’t join you. That is not worth the risk associated with him.”  
Tigerstar flicked an ear as he listened intently, then he turned his gaze to Scourge as Bramblepaw finished. “I think we are done here, commence the attack, Scourge.”  
In the midst of the two littermates’ personal issues, Bramblepaw had entirely forgotten what had been happening and he turned to see Scourge remain silent with his head bowed low. From where Bramblepaw was, however, he could tell that they were not going to like what Scourge had to say.  
“Sorry, Tigerstar, but I think I know when to commence my own attacks. My clan will not be bossed around by you, so I think it is time our deal was cut off… Permanently.”  
The cat moved in a flash, Bramblepaw’s eyes barely catching the small cat’s claws glint against the sunlight. Tigerstar apparently wasn’t ready for it either, and Bramblepaw was able to see that Scourge’s claws were reinforced… More dog teeth.  
The claws bore straight into Tigerstar’s throat, right through the thick fur and pelt as if they were nothing more than just a thin sheet of grass. Tigerstar backed up slightly, his blood splattered against the Great Rock, forever staining the sacred Fourtrees resting grounds. His paws clambered a moment as his amber eyes narrowed with hatred towards Scourge, who didn’t even flick an ear in response. The Shadowclan leader continued standing, his injuries grave as thick blood began to leave his lips, the claws got pretty far into his throat…  
Firestar and Tallstar quickly took a few steps back, Tigerstar starting to hack up globs of blood onto the grass. Hatred stung the Shadowclan leader’s amber gaze, and he darted towards Scourge. Such a large cat, gravely injured and moving at intense speed… The dark tabby was a dangerous foe to even still be standing, blood drenching his once-pristine tabby coat.  
Scourge didn’t seem scared at all to be attacked by such a large cat, and he swiftly sidestepped Tigerstar. Both the black cat’s front paws were raised, claws raking down Tigerstar’s side. Tigerstar tried to let out a screech of pain, but it was cut short as more blood was hacked up and his large muscular body slammed into the ground, sliding a few mouse-lengths before stopping in its tracks, kicking up dust. His body was trembling, Tigerstar couldn’t breathe, and he was hacking up more blood. Any white on his fur was quickly turning crimson, clumps of fur sticking and matting together as his body began to convulse.  
Bramblepaw couldn’t help but stare, a spectator to the murder of his father. The first life was lost to the leader and in such a brutal way…  
Everyone else was spectating too, the cats frozen like puddles in leaf-bare as they couldn’t help but stare at how easily Scourge handled Tigerstar like he was nothing more than a mere apprentice…  
The heartbeats passed by slowly, Tigerstar convulsing before his body finally stopped moving. Scourge let out a “humph” in triumph as he went to look towards the leaders again. Everyone else knew, though, that it wasn’t the end of Tigerstar.  
Until the Shadowclan leader’s eyes opened, and blood continued gushing from the wounds. Tigerstar scrambled to get to his paws, eyes wide in what looked like terror, his claws scraping the ground. Several cats gasped in the background, and it was clear to Bramblepaw what was happening to Tigerstar… A horrible fate befit a horrible leader, father, and warrior. A fate saved only for the worst kinds of cats. Tigerstar wasn’t fated to live nine lives, but to die through all of them…  
What kind of fate is this? Bramblepaw shivered, his own eyes wide as he watched his father claw and convulse. The body stopped once again, and now Scourge was watching with narrowed eyes, waiting for the body to completely stop.  
Twitch after claw after bloody screech came from Tigerstar, as if he were trying to curse out everyone around him, the crimson blood pooling around his body and turning into its own large puddle. Tigerstar kept stopping and convulsing, his body unable to gather the strength to get up on its own. Bramblepaw wouldn’t wish this fate on anyone, and he felt scared himself to see such a thing, his ears remained down and back and pressed right against his head.  
“What in Starclan…?” Bramblepaw heard someone whisper as the body gave one last convulse, the spine arching upwards in one final effort for Tigerstar to get up. But the result was the same… The ninth life was taken, and the dark tabby remained still.  
“That one had a lot of life to him,” Scourge commented amidst the group of cats, several of his own clan standing behind him. “Look, I’m not playing nice anymore. Turns out, I’m in quite the bad mood. This… Shadowclan… Well, I’m leading that now too, the entirety of Tigerstar’s Tigerclan I will now claim.” Scourge briefly licked his white paw, which was deeply stained crimson with Tigerstar’s blood now. “Anyone who disobeys my order will suffer the same fate as Tigerstar, and since that fate is death, I expect my next question will be this. Will you stay and fight me, or leave the forest?” Scourge glared down the clan leaders.  
Both Firestar and Tallstar brought their gazes to Scourge, and both stood tall, neither was willing to back down, and Firestar spoke first. “This forest isn’t yours, and we will defend it,” he growled lowly. The threat didn’t carry much weight, Thunderclan and Windclan were vastly outnumbered, and Riverclan was barely a contender in this fight were they to join forces with Lionclan anyways. Shadowclan might, but Bramblepaw knew a few were rogues, some of which who would probably gladly let more rogues into the forest…  
Scourge didn’t grin, he didn’t claim victory, he just stood as tall as he could and raised his head. “Attack!”


	4. 2: Hopeless

The clearing erupted into chaos, Bramblepaw’s claws rooted to the ground, amber eyes darting around to find a clear path. Though his eyes quickly landed on Tawnypaw, his littermate was standing still with eyes wide, her legs trembling and her tail quivering. Bramblepaw could see clearly that Tawnypaw was scared, seeing their father just get torn apart in such a vicious manner was enough to weight on anyone’s mind… But even if Tigerstar would leave behind a legacy of nothing more than bloodshed, he was still their father.  
“Tawnypaw…” Bramblepaw went to step forward before his eyes caught a darting movement to his right. Before he could dare react, a force slammed his body into the ground, Bramblepaw crying out as he rolled into the dirt and soil.  
Hearing the thudding of paw steps rushing for him, Bramblepaw opened his amber eyes and found his vision tunneling. A dark gray tabby had rushed him, and was continuing to rush the apprentice, aiming for the kill. Claws were extended, both front paws lifting up to add force to the cat’s attack. Bramblepaw – quickly forgetting Tawnypaw and focusing on his own problems – twisted his body, contorting it rapidly and turning his back to his opponent. As the opposing rogue’s claws came down, Bramblepaw lifted his hind legs and slammed them into his stomach, the rogue’s claws barely scraping Bramblepaw’s pelt.  
The cuts stung but Bramblepaw didn’t hesitate in retaliating. If these cats wanted to play dirty, they would find their tricks were no match for Bramblepaw’s training.  
The rogue before Bramblepaw hacked up a moment, eyes widening as Bramblepaw rushed with full force into the gray pelt, grappling the rogue. A screech rang in Bramblepaw’s ears, yet he showed no mercy as his lengthy claws dug into the gray pelt and began ripping and tearing through the fur. The crimson blood began to stain his claws and paws, Bramblepaw’s ears pinning back as the rogue began to holler and cry to be let go.  
Before leaving the cat alone, Bramblepaw opened his jaw wide and bit down hard on the cat’s shoulder, pulling and tugging at the muscles beneath as the taste of fresh blood rubbed against his tongue. The cat was begging for mercy to be shown, and Bramblepaw only thrashed out more pain before finally giving one last tug and ripping his teeth out of the cat’s shoulder.  
When he landed on the ground, Bramblepaw was breathing hard, the rogue was almost frozen with shock as crimson tides began soaking his fur. A droplet of blood formed on Bramblepaw’s chin before falling and hitting the grass… And as Bramblepaw began to look around, he realized just what a bloody massacre the battle had become.  
Scourge’s forces were winning with overwhelming force, they may not be trained like Warriors but their tactics of hit and run, along with their sheer numbers, was driving the clan cats further and further away from Fourtrees. Several cats lay bleeding, their stomachs ripped open, throats slashed, tails bent and hanging on by mere threads of muscle and tendons. Many of both sides were being torn apart, rivers of red running all around the clearing. Bramblepaw was luckily with his own forces, Thunderclan cats surrounding him and averagely fighting two or more rogues by themselves at any given time.  
Bramblepaw growled lowly and was picking his next opponent to attack. We can win this, one opponent at a time-  
There wasn’t much of a chance to finish his thoughts, Bramblepaw glancing and seeing a black cat standing atop a large white tom. The white tom didn’t stand a chance and his cries echoed in Bramblepaw’s ears, claws ripping into his body.  
“Whitestorm!” Bramblepaw almost froze, his body moved faster than his mind did, however. The black she-cat keeping Whitestorm pinned down continued to claw and rip apart the Thunderclan deputy, the white fur rapidly becoming doused in Whitestorm’s own blood. “Get off him!” Bramblepaw hissed, clamping his teeth down on the she-cat’s tail and pulling hard. The she-cat didn’t get a heartbeat to react, her yowls harsh as Bramblepaw slammed her into the ground. Without thinking, the apprentice began shredding and fileting the she-cat’s tail, the she-cat trying to pull away but without much luck. Bramblepaw kept a tight grip with his teeth, his claws cutting down further and further before the force of his own grip forced him backwards…  
Her tail was still in his jaw, but he had ripped it right off the cat in a fit of anger, and he spit the tail out and let it land on the ground. The she-cat was howling in pain and hastily made her retreat into the mass of rogue cats, some of which hadn’t even bothered entering the battle yet. Too many.  
Breathing hard, Bramblepaw turned around and darted back over to Whitestorm’s side, the tom wasn’t moving much. Whitestorm’s tail didn’t even tremble, and the tom glanced up to Bramblepaw before giving the apprentice an exceedingly small and weakened smile.  
“Whitestorm…” Bramblepaw mumbled in shock, surprised the tom would find himself in such a position. Whitestorm was a great warrior; how could he be bested by rogues? “You can’t die here,” Bramblepaw continued, his tail thrashing as he nudged Whitestorm’s spine with his nose, trying to get him up and moving. “What would Firestar say to you? You have to get up…”  
The white tom didn’t say anything for a moment, as if lost in his own little world away from reality, before his eyes dilated back in and he glanced up to Bramblepaw. “Relax, young one…” Whitestorm mumbled, not even flicking an ear or leaving a single twitch to his body. “Firestar will get a new deputy, I’m a bit old to be fighting anyways. Besides… Whitestar doesn’t exactly sound fitting for me, now does it?” Whitestorm joked before briefly coughing. “It’s okay. I didn’t think I’d make it out anyways, but Firestar already knows who his trusted deputy should be…” The tom lowered his head and rested it in the grass. “Starclan awaits me, but they do not await you… Go, help… Fire… st…”   
Bramblepaw watched as Whitestorm closed his eyes, his stomach heaving up only once before the cat fell completely still. “N-No…” Bramblepaw stammered, crouching over the tom and nudging him again. “Whitestorm, this isn’t the time… It isn’t your time yet, come on…” But Bramblepaw knew there was no budging the stubborn warrior, he was gone… For good.  
I won’t let this stand, Bramblepaw promised as he gave the top of Whitestorm’s head a gentle touch of his nose. A strong warrior like you didn’t deserve to fall today, and we are losing this battle… Bramblepaw raised his head, noticing the warriors of Thunderclan and Windclan being driven further and further back. Every warrior was fighting a losing battle, but they weren’t the only ones fighting in the battle. Bramblepaw recognized a few of the Riverclan cats he had seen at gatherings, but they were few and far between, the rest he could guess have been held up at camp.  
Tawnypaw! Where is she? Bramblepaw wasn’t going to leave his littermate behind and he whipped around, eyes narrowed and trying to find the she-cat amidst the mess of the battle. As soon as his body turned, claws slashed across his face, Bramblepaw backing up and his head immediately lowering. Water formed in his eyes, his nose screeching in pain but he held his breath, feeling the light blood trickle against his lips.  
A low growl emanated from Bramblepaw’s throat, the apprentice planting his paws and fluffing out his fur, making himself look like a much large opponent.  
While he wasn’t met with Tawnypaw, he was met with another she-cat whom he could only guess as to her name. The rogues all had weird names to Bramblepaw, so he wouldn’t bother trying to figure out this one’s name.  
This rogue was much larger than him though, and she had a lot of muscle built into her paws and shoulders. Bramblepaw didn’t back down, his claws digging into the dirt as his tongue tasted the light trickle of his own blood. Neither moved for a moment, waiting for the other to move first… Bramblepaw wasn’t exactly a big opponent himself, he was still young, and he wanted to prove himself as a full warrior.  
Glancing back, Bramblepaw noticed that his clan was still being pushed back by the overwhelming Bloodclan forces. With this in mind, the apprentice slowly began to circle the large she-cat, who kept her gaze on him. The plan was dumb, but it was dumb enough to work.  
The she-cat smirked, as if she had victory on paw, and her stance continued to change repeatedly. Bramblepaw could distinguish different fighting styles, but rogues were dangerous and tricky, they didn’t keep to any one particular style of fighting. Often would they use dirty tricks, and Bramblepaw was more than prepared to use his own. If he couldn’t win with brute force alone…  
Once the she-cat’s back was turned, Bramblepaw darted forward and watched the she-cat intently. Her reaction was set in stone, he ducked beneath her first paw swipe, her claws long… She must have just barely grazed his nose earlier when he turned to face her, otherwise his nose should have been fileted and his face sliced entirely open.  
The she-cat’s other white paw flashed out, Bramblepaw already hopping up with claws extended as his paws slammed down on her head. A howl left the she-cat as Bramblepaw swiftly applied pressure, pushing his hind legs down now in order to gain upwards momentum.  
As soon as his paws left the ground, Bramblepaw felt a bolt of pain rip through his body from his tail. The apprentice let out a harsh howl as he felt his body whirl around by the pull of his tail. He couldn’t defend himself, and Bramblepaw was left to the motion as whatever had grabbed his tail let go. His body slammed into the ground before rolling repeatedly, bruising and pain blasting through his body as if he had been repeatedly slammed with rocks. Bramblepaw’s body stopped moving as he lay on his left side, his paws trembling and tail quivering with pain as he slowly raised his head.  
A white paw slammed down on Bramblepaw; the apprentice’s amber eyes met with dark green eyes as the she-cat who had been fighting him licked her lips of blood… Then she growled, her ears perked now as a smile appeared on her face. The same smug grin from before, the she-cat opening her jaw to reveal crimson stained teeth. She was not a she-cat of many words, and Bramblepaw struggled to try to remove himself from her grasp.  
A howl rang through the clearing, most of the fighting ceasing at the sound. Bramblepaw’s attacker even did the same, her gaze off him momentarily as she turned her head to see the source of the sound.  
Fatal mistake, Bramblepaw thought as he took his chance. His right paw came up and tripped the she-cat holding him, her body flipping as her gaze widened and she tried to twist away, but Bramblepaw was already on the offensive, baring his teeth before lunging into the attack. His teeth sunk deep into the she-cat’s throat and he refused to let go, feeling her claws tear and graze his pelt in various places, but nothing too damaging that Bramblepaw could feel in his battle rush.  
“L-Let go!” the she-cat hissed, but her voice was being lost to time as the blood made a tidal wave down her white pelt. Her strength was not gone, however, and Bramblepaw couldn’t hold her forever, feeling her hind paws shove Bramblepaw’s body off her. The dark tabby hopped away a couple tail-lengths, breathing heavily with blood plastering his fur to his skin, making him feel hot like green-leaf. It wasn’t comfortable but it was a battle, not a lie-down at Sunrock.  
To Bramblepaw’s surprise, the she-cat slowly got up, her paws shaking beneath herself but her tail flicking in irritation and her blood still dripping down her coat at a surprising pace. But she still stood, and she tried to speak momentarily before no voice came out, only another few drops of crimson gel that made Bramblepaw want to shiver.  
She doesn’t have long, he thought. I didn’t bite lightly; she’s going to die with or without treatment. If that’s the case… Bramblepaw’s eyes widened, realizing that this rogue was done playing around. She was going to go straight for the kill now, and Bramblepaw watched as her body straightened and she seemed to gain a huge burst of strength, propelling herself forward right towards him. Instinct kicked in, Bramblepaw ducking and hopping over swipe after swipe after swipe. The she-cat wasn’t holding back, her paws flashing, glints of sunlight barely reflecting enough for Bramblepaw to avoid each strike. How this she-cat was standing, let alone fighting with the blood loss and damage she sustained, was beyond Bramblepaw. No cat should be able to do that, but she was throwing everything she had at him in anger and hatred, and if she could yell at him… She would be doing that too.  
Bramblepaw felt slow in comparison to the repeated swipes and strikes, he couldn’t find an opening he could exploit without taking huge amounts of damage himself, and each claw was slowly coming closer to becoming a blow Bramblepaw may not recover from. They were starting to nick his pelt, his shoulders and front legs especially.  
One attack finally broke through Bramblepaw’s defense, the claw strike slamming into his shoulder Bramblepaw’s skull hitting the ground. A piercing sound hit his ears, dulling every other sound around him as he glanced up, seeing the crimson-stained teeth open as the she-cat went straight for the kill.  
I can’t move…  
Is this… really it for me? Was this all I was born to do? Die in some stupid battle? Firestar… I… I’m sorry, even after all that training…   
Even as Bramblepaw’s mind raced with his thoughts, his paws instinctively tried to push himself away, but he was still vastly slow in comparison to the lightning fast teeth.  
This his amber eyes caught something moving, much faster than he was. The force holding him down, the she-cat, her paws slipped off him as a tortoiseshell pelt tackled into Bramblepaw’s attacker. Bramblepaw blinked and quickly stood up, amber eyes on the newcomer as the familiar scent hit his nose.  
“Tawnypaw!” Bramblepaw exclaimed with surprise, noticing the tortoiseshell she-cat didn’t seem hurt in the slightest. Whatever she had been doing, Bramblepaw could guess most of it was mourning the loss of their father. “W-What’re you doing?” Bramblepaw questioned as he leapt beside her.  
“Don’t question it, let’s just finish off this rogue,” Tawnypaw growled.  
Easy for you to say, you actually have strength left, Bramblepaw thought as he stood by his sister and immediately lowered his head, taking an offensive stance while protecting his neck. “Let’s,” he agreed before darting to the right of the huge muscular rogue. Tawnypaw took the right, the blood-soaked rogue looking more scared by the heartbeat as both Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw surrounded her, claws raking down both the white rogue’s sides.  
The littermates rapidly turned around, their tails brushing against the other as they narrowed their gazes and watched the rogue whip around to face them.  
Whatever kept her standing must’ve been a much more powerful motivator than Tigerstar’s motivations, though Bramblepaw kept the thought away as he darted forward and ducked beneath a paw swipe. Tawnypaw took advantage of the opening, leaping upwards and landing her paws on Bramblepaw’s shoulders, then launching up and onto the rogue. Bramblepaw’s littermate made no hesitation to launch a full assault, her claws entering the rogue’s face by the bridge of her nose before ripping backwards.  
Tawnypaw’s claw’s sliced through the rogue’s eyes, who tried to let out a holler of pain only to hack and cough up more blood. Bramblepaw took advantage of the opening and bit down, grabbing back onto the rogue’s throat and pulling hard while Tawnypaw worked on the rogue’s face, both apprentices taking no chances until the rogue fell still beneath their attacks.  
When Bramblepaw pulled away and Tawnypaw hopped off the rogue, the white she-cat was a new shade of red. What had probably once been beautiful white fur was crimson, the fur was knotted and blood dripping from the rogue’s lips in a puddle beneath her. The eyes were shredded, spilling a disgusting puss and gel-substance onto the ground that Bramblepaw could only assume was the rest of her eyes that didn’t remain in the sockets.  
The rogue stumbled a moment, but all the fight had left her, her body making a thud sound against the ground as Bramblepaw glanced to Tawnypaw.  
Another howl caught Bramblepaw’s attention, and he turned away from the white rogue as he glanced to the source of the sound.  
His gaze latched onto a small black cat who had begun dragging an orange tom towards the clan cats. Scourge’s strength was immense for a cat so small, and he practically tossed Firestar’s bloodied orange pelt at the clan cats. Each one watched in horror, and Bramblepaw’s eyes widened as he took a step forward. He couldn’t believe that Firestar had been defeated by the Bloodclan leader, but there he was, lying still…  
Did he lose all nine lives too? Bramblepaw felt his claws dig into the dirt as he began fretting, his heart pounding against his chest.  
“Do you see the chaos you have wrought on yourselves!?” Scourge called out to the clan cats with his teeth bared towards them. Like the white rogue, Scourge also had reddened teeth, his claws looking terribly similar. “This is what happens when you defy Bloodclan, and I will not issue this warning again! You have one day to leave the forest, and those who do not comply will be properly executed. I will make those deaths quick. If you want to join, feel free to ask, but I can’t promise anything come morning.” Scourge stood as tall as he could, his ears flicking once.  
All the fighting in the clearing had stopped, cats of all kinds were bloodied and torn, and the clan cats were looking rather beat down… The unstoppable onslaught of Bloodclan couldn’t be halted by the clans alone, and Bramblepaw slowly began to slip back with the clan cats. Scourge watched some of them begin to move backwards, and the black cat shook his head.  
“Tigerstar defied me, but I promise no more blood has to be shed if you all leave,” Scourge spoke as he began to back away as well. “Again, you have one day. By sun-high tomorrow, I expect every cat amongst these… clans… to be gone.” Some of the rogues began to grumble in irritation, as if wanting to spill more blood, but they complied quickly, starting to back away from the scene just as Scourge did. The small black cat disappeared amongst the numbers of rogues, which had begun to slink away.  
Bramblepaw brought his amber eyes to Tawnypaw, who was shaking as she saw Firestar’s body. Even if Tawnypaw had left, it wasn’t as if she hated Thunderclan in its entirety. Bramblepaw understood why she left, but it seemed now that they were reunited through necessity, and the tom watched Firestar expectantly…  
It was difficult to watch, but the heartbeats passed amongst clanmates as they awaited Firestar’s final fate…  
A gasp left the tom as he opened his eyes and shot up, tail thrashing and eyes widened before Sandstorm came into view and nuzzled up against him, pressing right into him. Her tail pressed between his ears, Firestar’s gaze darting around momentarily before he glanced down to Sandstorm, and everyone could see the worry in the she-cat’s gaze… Firestar was dead for a short while, that was certain, and everyone was worried the tom had passed for good.  
“I… I’m okay…” Firestar mumbled as he looked up to Fourtrees, which they were quite a few dozen cat-lengths away from now. The battle really pushed them back towards Riverclan and Thunderclan territories. “W-Where’s Tallstar?” Firestar stammered. “He was with me and fighting Scourge’s deputy,” he explained.  
The Thunderclan cats that remained glanced around, unknowing of where the Windclan leader had disappeared to. Several Windclan cats were still amongst Lionclan’s forces, and as Bramblepaw gazed around, many Riverclan cats and even some Shadowclan cats were still amongst them too… And Tawnypaw still stood right by his side. But the remaining warriors total… It was way less than a gathering, maybe half the total clan cats were amongst the bodies littering the field, and Bramblepaw’s gaze drifted towards Whitestorm’s body laying still.  
Help Firestar…  
Whitestorm’s words appeared in Bramblepaw’s mind, and he lowered his head, watching the fire-furred leader stand up. Sandstorm refused to leave his side, and Firestar’s gaze finally met with the same body that Bramblepaw had just recently seen. The Thunderclan leader didn’t even stretch, and his walk carried with him a limp that Bramblepaw was unsure if it would heal. It didn’t seem as bad as Cinderpelt’s limp, he was probably just sore.  
“Oh no…” Bramblepaw heard the soft whisper of another Thunderclan cat as they watched Firestar move up to Whitestorm’s corpse.  
Silence hung like a curse above the clans, some cats slowly drifting outwards towards other clan cats they had known after seeing so many that had passed during the battle. Bramblepaw felt his own heart twist in his chest, his stomach churning with it as he was now glad not to have eaten that morning… But his gaze slowly landed nearby, noticing the still and bloody body of a pale ginger she-cat, and as his senses focused in, he recognized her scent.  
“No…”  
“Bramblepaw?” Tawnypaw glanced to her littermate, before her gaze travelled with his. They both stared at the body for a minute. “N… No…”  
Bramblepaw’s paws carried him forward, his plastered tail flicking as his ears pinned back. “Th-This can’t be happening…” He whispered as he stopped above the body, noticing bite marks along the back of the neck. The spine had been snapped, and there was still fresh blood on her… “Goldenflower… No, you can’t go too…” Bramblepaw whispered, laying down and burying his nose into his mother’s soft fur. “No, I refuse to believe you had to go today… Look… Tawnypaw’s with me… She’s with me, mom…” Bramblepaw began to tremble, everything that had happened today was nothing but bloodshed for the sake of bloodshed. “Don’t leave me, please…”  
His voice cracked and the pain slowly seeped through his body, all the cuts and nicks and scrapes and bruises finally catching up to Bramblepaw. Slowly, the tom laid down, curling up into Goldenflower’s lifeless body and keeping his face buried in a clean spot of her fur.  
“I should’ve protected you… I should’ve protected everybody…”   



	5. 3: Scarred

The trek back home was slow, Bramblepaw beginning to feel stiff as he kept his head low and his eyes on the grass between his paws. The home he had known for so long would soon be overrun by Bloodclan cats, and the remnants of the clans who had lived here for untold generations were the ones being forced to leave… On top of all that, Bramblepaw had lost what felt like everything. Watching his father die to Scourge in one swipe of the claws was brutal enough, but witnessing Goldenflower’s corpse… The only family Bramblepaw had left was Tawnypaw, he wasn’t ready to lose her either.  
His amber eyes didn’t lift for a long time, Bramblepaw feeling queasy at every thought of even trying to look up and follow his clan. But he wasn’t the only one, the other clan cats who followed Firestar also had their heads low, with Firestar being the only one to hold his head to any sort of height at all in order for himself to lead the way back home. Sandstorm walked beside him, and the clan was now without a deputy along with only half their strength.  
Bramblepaw eventually did glance back and stopped, feeling a gentle breeze blow through his fur. His eyes longed for the last moon, when everything felt simpler, before Tigerstar reared his ugly face at the gathering as the leader of Shadowclan and stood beside the great leaders of the other clans. Before today, when all this death and destruction had become paramount to the clans slipping on their grasp of the forest. Before Scourge, when Goldenflower still lived and Tigerstar wasn’t killed in a brutal strike like he was barely more than fresh-kill to be tossed onto the pile. This morning, everyone was prepared for battle and their claws were sharpened to fight a clan worth two. And now… everything was gone, all of it, and Bramblepaw couldn’t help but wonder where they were supposed to go.  
When Bramblepaw turned back to see the clan limping back, he noticed that Tawnypaw also remained where she was, standing by the edge of the ravine towards Thunderclan camp with her eyes on his own. Her lips were twitched down in a frown and her ears were low, but his littermate still waited patiently. Both of them would only have each other now, their parents were gone, and the clans would have to leave the territory.  
Where would they go…? Bramblepaw had no idea, even as he watched Tawnypaw with his tail dragging along the grass. The twolegplace was not a home for cats, at least not wild cats like them. Maybe go past Highstones? Bramblepaw sighed as he shook his head and lowered it again, going to walk past Tawnypaw.  
His littermate gently brushed her tail along his back, her eyes filling with worry but the tortoiseshell still said nothing. Bramblepaw didn’t say anything either, and he turned himself away from Tawnypaw as he walked past her.  
While Bramblepaw more than understood it wasn’t her fault, part of him felt sickened by the idea that she left Thunderclan just to join Tigerstar… And that seemed to have ended rather poorly, the apprentices mind flicking between loving his sister and feeling somewhat queasy at the thought of her. Tawnypaw betrayed Thunderclan, but… didn’t Thunderclan betray her too?  
The cuts and bruises stung at Bramblepaw’s sides, his body was already sore and his tail didn’t even bother flicking. The tom padded forward without paying attention to his growing pains, even as his front paw started to cause him to limp.  
When did I hurt my leg…? Bramblepaw thought but couldn’t remember a scenario in which his paw had been injured. He probably sprained it on a jump at some point, the battle had caused his adrenaline to soar but now that they were outside of battle, every cut was slowly burning deeper and deeper at his pelt. If his fur hadn’t been so thick, he expected the battle for himself would’ve been extensively shorter than it had been. He wouldn’t doubt that the other cats would’ve had more upper paws on him, but he had miraculously survived the onslaught…  
But not everyone made it, Whitestorm and Goldenflower were the first ones that Bramblepaw had either seen or noticed were dead by the time the battle ended. The deputy of Thunderclan, and his own mother, both were casualties of this war between the clans and Tigerstar’s wrath, one that Bramblepaw couldn’t stop on his own and Tawnypaw seemed unable to do so either.  
Tallstar seemingly lost a life during the battle and was found later on by the clans working together. His leg was still injured when he was found, even after the healing Starclan gave him…  
Frostfur was another casualty, along with the apprentice Ashpaw. Both had been shredded, torn to literal pieces by the rogues. Their bodies had been rather close together, they seemed to have been fighting together before getting overrun early on in the attack.  
With Firestar’s lives also taken, it was unknown if Firestar still had all of his lives or not. Bramblepaw wasn’t going to bother asking, it seemed unnecessary and almost rude to ask, though Cinderpelt would probably know best how many lives the Thunderclan leader still had. Bramblepaw couldn’t even see Firestar from where he was, so far behind all the other Thunderclan cats. They were a smaller group now, and Bramblepaw wondered if it would make travelling any easier.  
There was a brief pause in the group moving back towards camp, and Bramblepaw raised his head. The air was quiet, and the cats further ahead had their fur on end. Bramblepaw felt his own fur stand on end, his ears pinning back and his tail starting to thrash.  
Fresh blood hit the air, and the gorse tunnel – albeit Bramblepaw could hardly see it – was ripped apart. Bramblepaw shivered as he began to stalk forward, passing several cats as he began to slip down the ravine towards the tunnel. His eyes caught sight of Firestar for only a moment, but the leader had already slipped into the gorse tunnel by the time Bramblepaw had caught up. Cinderpelt was sitting by the tunnel, her darker gray pelt also had little cuts and bruises… Someone tried to rough her up, but luckily for them, whoever it was didn’t manage to kill her.  
There was a brief pause before Bramblepaw shook his head and slipped through the tunnel himself without a word towards anyone else. Danger or no danger, he was going to help whoever was left alive on the inside. About halfway through, he heard Firestar’s howl.  
“It’s safe to enter!”  
The voice sounded slightly different from Firestar’s usual tone, but something else had entered it while he was speaking. Bramblepaw couldn’t tell what it was and just continued through the gorse tunnel until he entered the other side.  
Stepping further out, the dark tabby’s amber gaze shifted around the clearing, noticing the fresh paw tracks, ripped up dirt, a few bloodied pelts lying around along with all the dens having practically been trampled. Firestar was at the queens’ den, his head hung low as Graystripe was with him. The gray tom only shook his head and whispered an “I’m sorry” before taking a step back. As Bramblepaw stepped closer, he saw the bloody white pelt of Cloudtail, his throat having been ripped open. Graystripe hadn’t been safe from damage either, his front left paw was bleeding heavily and his ear had a tear. When the large tom turned his head, Bramblepaw’s heart skipped a beat as he noticed Graystripe’s right eye was cut open as well, blood still lightly dripping from the socket between closed eyelids.  
The first through the gorse barrier behind Bramblepaw was Cinderpelt, her ears perked as she too gazed around. As soon as her blue eyes caught sight of Graystripe, she gasped. “Graystripe!” she called out, half-running and half-limping up to the tom. “Come on, let’s get you to the medicine den, I’ll see if I have any supplies to patch you up.”  
More cats started to move through the gorse tunnel, but Bramblepaw ignored them as he padded slowly closer to Firestar. Cloudtail wasn’t the only victim of an attack directly in the camp, the den was trampled and crushed but bits of fur were spread out. Several fox-lengths away, after Bramblepaw’s eyes followed a path in the grass that indicated a cat was dragged further away, he could see the pale tabby pelt of Speckletail. Her back was to them, but her sides didn’t heave up and down, indicating she was dead.  
Graystripe was the only survivor in the Thunderclan camp itself, the only queen and all the elders, along with Cloudtail, were torn apart.  
Bramblepaw sat down beside Firestar, his paws quivering as he glanced up to his mentor.  
“What… What will we do now…?” Bramblepaw asked quietly, almost afraid to ask the question as Firestar was still grieving over their loss. The clan needed to know, however, what Firestar was going to do from here on out, and Bramblepaw preferred not to keep his mind on his inner thoughts… They had felt disturbed since seeing his own mother’s body amidst a field of other bodies. Bramblepaw grieved too, and he could tell Firestar was taking this defeat rather hard.  
The silence from such a novice but confident leader made Bramblepaw more worried… Though the leader did eventually stop the deafening silence between them after a few heartbeats.  
“We shouldn’t have lost…” Firestar mumbled, his gaze still hanging low and his tail thrashing against the sliced-up grass. “Cloudtail should still be alive, but they attacked our camp directly with who knows how many, and I left them here to die…” Firestar shook his head, and Bramblepaw could see his claws tearing deeper into the already churned up soil. “We lost too many today, I think… it is best that we grieve for the night, then figure out what to do in the morning.”  
Bramblepaw frowned a bit, knowing to do that was rather dangerous considering they only had until morning. “Firestar,” Bramblepaw spoke up, ears pinning to his head as he talked in a soft tone, somewhat surprised he had a voice at all. “I don’t think we have until tomorrow morning to grieve; Scourge gave us only a day to leave… Shouldn’t we talk to the other clans? Get a plan going so that we can leave?” Bramblepaw suggested as other cats began to pad closer to them, realizing more and more what was going on. “I hate the idea of leaving but we lost, time is no longer on our side…”  
Orange fur fluffed briefly as Firestar brought his green gaze glaring down to Bramblepaw, something hidden deep behind the emerald eyes that made Bramblepaw flinch. Hastily, however, the glare retreated and became much softer, the orange tom nodding and glancing back to the clan. “Too many are gone, I can’t afford to send many cats to go talk to the other clans,” Firestar admitted quietly to Bramblepaw. “I see… Tawnypaw has come back…”  
Bramblepaw nodded in response, glancing back to the tortoiseshell who had already started to help Cinderpelt get medicine to some of the other cats in the clan. While Tawnypaw wasn’t particularly suited for medicine cat duties, her and Brightheart were moving hastily to get supplies around. Neither of them was particularly injured themselves, and their help was necessary.  
“Bramblepaw, I’m trusting you on this little mission, if you’re up for it then…” The Thunderclan leader seemed somber but he tried to keep a strong voice. “Find someone to take with you, I can’t risk you going alone while Bloodclan is still out there, probably watching us… But go out there, report to Leopardstar and definitely report to Tallstar… The clans will meet at Highstones, and we will discuss what to do from there.” Firestar shook his head slowly. “You’re right, we did lose… We will work on burying the bodies here. Oh…” Firestar kept his gaze on Bramblepaw. “Don’t bother with Shadowclan, I doubt Blackfoot will walk away from Bloodclan so easily and if Tigerstar was working with Bloodclan, then my guess is they’re residing in the pine forest somewhere. They’re too dangerous for only a couple cats to go, if there are Shadowclan cats who want to leave, they can leave with us.”  
“I understand, Firestar,” Bramblepaw’s ears lowered now. Who could he take…? The clan was in ruins, every cat besides Tawnypaw and Brightheart seemed to be too injured for such a long journey to Windclan and Riverclan territory. He slowly stood up before bowing his head to the leader. “I promise I will return with good news this time,” he mumbled.  
“I know you will, you’re a good cat, Bramblepaw. You’ll make a great warrior one day,” Firestar smiled down to the apprentice. A soft and kind-hearted smile that Bramblepaw could tell was as half-hearted as the leader’s voice was making it out to be… That was okay, the situation was already difficult enough, but Bramblepaw backed away from the Thunderclan leader.  
With his first mission being to find a suitable partner for this task, Bramblepaw immediately went over to Cinderpelt, knowing that while the medicine cat was busy, she might know a list of candidates who would be able to leave with Bramblepaw.  
Seeing the medicine cat rushing to get supplies to Tawnypaw and Brightheart was agonizing for Bramblepaw, and he waited as Cinderpelt continued to order each of the other two in turn. Instead, he opted to sit by Graystripe, who had fresh medicinal leaves wrapped around his face and his leg. Bramblepaw didn’t realize the extent of the damage, but Graystripe didn’t even flinch, holding back any sign that he was in pain. The gray tom looked up towards Bramblepaw, having been laying down on his good side and keeping his right paw against a little bed of leftover moss.  
“Hey there, Bramblepaw…” The tom smiled up towards the dark tabby apprentice, who only glanced away at Graystripes voice. “Don’t look so sad, would you…? You’re making me worried, I’ve already got the rundown of what happened from Brightheart…” The gray tom tilted his head slightly to the side. “Things suck now, but we are survivors. That’s what it means to be a clan cat, and we can grieve soon, I’m sure.”  
“About that…” Bramblepaw shook his head as his tail flicked, his gaze caught on Graystripe’s paw. “Firestar is having me go to Riverclan and Windclan tonight to get them to go to Highstones during sunrise. We will be heading out early tomorrow-.”  
“What!?” Cinderpelt stopped and butted in now, her eyes narrowed and her teeth drawn back in a snarl. “We can’t be leaving that early! Graystripe shouldn’t even be on his paws for another few days, and we have too many injured that moving everyone by tomorrow is not even possible!”  
Bramblepaw had never seen the medicine cat get so upset or angry before, but he shook his head. “I… I’m sorry, Cinderpelt, but…”  
Almost as soon as his words came out, Cinderpelt’s gaze widened in surprise, as if she weren’t used to shouting so loudly. Not since her apprentice days as a warrior, at least. The medicine cat sighed briefly before glancing into the mostly trampled medicine den. Bramblepaw noticed it now, all the strewn about herbs and such lying around, Bloodclan went all out against the Thunderclan cats who remained behind… Bramblepaw glanced back to Cinderpelt, who seemed to be thinking as her gaze opened up a bit more and she glanced towards the dark tabby.  
“Look, I know Firestar said to go alone, but I need both Brightheart and Tawnypaw here to help out… And everyone else is scratched up… And I still need to look over you!” Cinderpelt dipped inside the medicine den and pulled out a few leaves before darting over to Bramblepaw. “Now hold still! You aren’t leaving until I apply this to your wounds, then you may go!” Cinderpelt hissed lightly.  
Something about her changed, Bramblepaw realized as she began applying the herbs to his larger cuts and scraped. This loss… She’s taking it hard, and Firestar has too… Bramblepaw realized as he glanced back towards the fiery pelted Thunderclan leader. Other cats had also begun sitting by the queen’s den, their heads hung low. Some already had their wounds treated for the time being, Bramblepaw turning his head away as he sighed. So, what else will change with this? He wondered. Will we still be clan cats when we leave? Will the remnants of the other clans join us? Bramblepaw winced as the larger scratch on his flank had crushed herbs applied to it but he remained silent.  
“There,” Cinderpelt sighed as she limped back, sitting by Graystripe as she watched the dark tabby. “We can’t really spare any other warriors, Bramblepaw, I’m sorry… I hate to do this but if Firestar needs this mission done, you’ll have to go alone. No one else should be going and quite honestly, neither should you. But I know this mission is quite important, so I won’t deny your request to leave myself.” Cinderpelt glanced to Graystripe and flicked her ear lightly. “So go, get out of here and just be quick. You need to sleep before we leave tomorrow, then…”  
Bramblepaw watched the both of them as his ears lowered. Seeing his own clanmates like this hurt him inside, even after the way some treated Bramblepaw, including the elders… The last thing Bramblepaw wanted was for anyone to die or be hurt this way, and cats like Graystripe and Firestar taught him right and treated him more equally over anyone else.  
He gave Cinderpelt a small nod, standing up and giving the cat a very small smile. “Then I will be fine… I shall be back as you say, and hopefully I can get some sleep tonight.” Graystripe gave Bramblepaw a smile back, and the young apprentice backed away momentarily before hearing Brightheart and Tawnypaw return to gather more supplies.  
Instead of listening to Cinderpelt ordering the two around, Bramblepaw turned away and padded towards the entrance of the camp, his ears and gaze low as he glanced behind himself.  
Several cats were laying together, trying to comfort each other and give each other hope. Some – like Bramblepaw – still grieved over the recent losses of the day, but Bramblepaw felt he had grieved enough for now. The clans needed him, and grieving wouldn’t help anyone right now.  
With that in his mind, he mumbled “May Starclan light your path” before turning his back to the clan and disappearing through the gorse tunnel.


	6. 4: Fear

Bramblepaw padded up the slight slope overlooking Sunning Rocks, his dark tabby fur blending with the shadowy environment of the undergrowth just beside the rocks. No longer did the sun shine down, heating the rock for what could have once been a beautiful and perfect day to lay and bathe in the light, but instead the clouds had begun to gather in the skies overhead. It was cloudy, and the scent of rain was coming in thick over the grass and woodland.  
The apprentice kept silent; his ears not perked but not pinned back either. His body just remained relaxed as he waited patiently, not expecting a patrol to come out here today or ever again to this area. Instead, Bramblepaw waited because he didn’t want to go out into the open knowing that Bloodclan had potential to be prowling around, sneaking through the undergrowth to potentially attack stragglers. Bramblepaw wasn’t in the mood to fight again, and on that note, probably ever again. Losing the biggest battle that he could ever participate in, Bramblepaw had no taste for blood now. Even the idea of eating made his stomach queasy.  
After a long while of nothing but a gentle breeze blowing against the grass and leaves, the dark tabby pulled himself out of the undergrowth and placed his paw on Sunning Rock. There wasn’t any heat left in the rocks from the earlier rising sun and midday heat. Instead, the humid air felt more in line with the heat Bramblepaw had been expecting.  
Padding across Sunning Rock, Bramblepaw kept his gaze on the nearby river, the water flowing at a gentle and even pace. It was almost a soothing white noise, keeping Bramblepaw’s mind off the events of that morning and on the mission at hand. The weight of the clans felt placed on his shoulders, and Bramblepaw didn’t think shouldering such responsibility should’ve been his to do. Yet it was, and he wasn’t going to bother complaining.  
Bramblepaw stopped on the edge of the rocks, looking over the stillness of Riverclan territory. Even with the extra breeze that blew through his fur, weaving between strands, Bramblepaw found that the entirety of Riverclan territory seemed dead and quiet.  
Hopping off the rocks, Bramblepaw moved over to the river and the stepping stones, his ears perked as he listened quietly. Without patrols, this mission was probably more dangerous than he realized at first. Walking into Riverclan camp would paint his scent as a threat, he would probably have to do a lot of convincing in order to get Riverclan to join Thunderclan at Highstones.  
It’ll all turn out okay, Bramblepaw reminded himself as he hopped onto the first stone, listening to the gentle river below him rushing past. I’ll be fine, the clans will one day be normal again. We will find a new territory, make it ours, and the clans will continue thriving.   
Another stone, and another…  
Just like one stone at a time, Bramblepaw would help with the move to a new territory one paw step at a time. And eventually, as his paws were planted firmly on Riverclan territory, Bramblepaw would help Firestar plant the roots of the new clans.  
One step at a time, Bramblepaw reminded himself as he lightly padded forward through the undergrowth encompassing Riverclan territory. Unlike the forests of Thunderclan or the pines of Shadowclan, Riverclan was almost all bushes and undergrowth, hiding cats much more effectively. Especially those who were used to such nature.  
Bramblepaw was not, but he weaved away from any thorns like he would in Thunderclan territory. There was enough space past the reeds for a cat his size to move through, and he pushed deeper into Riverclan territory.  
Scents had rapidly become mixed, Shadowclan’s scent was on Riverclan territory, mixing with the water and fish that usually accompanied the clan. Riverclan definitely had a strong scent associated with them, and Bramblepaw was finding it difficult to navigate the territory without being able to smell for a Riverclan cat’s fresh scent nearby. He knew the general location of the camp, but that was about it… Everything else was just educated guesswork, and Bramblepaw would have to apply his training to get further into the territory.  
They will attack me, Bramblepaw noted to himself as he stopped and leaned down, sniffing at the ground for any sign of a Riverclan patrol. The scent was so stale… Had Riverclan ever left the main camp since Tigerclan was first formed? Bramblepaw shivered at the thought and pressed onward, his paw steps slow and deliberate as he listened for any sound at all. Everything just felt so quiet, the air was heavy, and not just with the humidity. I feel like I’m being watched, Bramblepaw glanced around as his neck fur stood on end, but since he didn’t see anyone, he continued forward. The camp was close, it had to be. Bramblepaw wasn’t going to fail in this mission, he had to make it through…  
Then he swallowed his fear as he realized something else.  
I’m Tigerstar’s son, what will they do to me if they catch me in their territory? Bramblepaw thought. He had to push the thought aside, his ears perked and swiveling to other directions to try and pinpoint a sound, any sound at all. Just find Riverclan, talk to Leopardstar, Bramblepaw repeated in his head, each paw step bringing him closer to his destination.  
The scent was starting to hit his nose, he was a little off but he was close enough. A slight turn to the left, and a few fox-lengths away, he saw the wall of reeds and brambles. With both ears flicking, Bramblepaw felt his heart pace rapidly in his chest before he began circling the camp barrier. Riverclan scent was thick here, but so was Shadowclan scent…  
When Bramblepaw circled around, he also noticed the entrance seemed entirely unguarded…  
Should I wait here…? Bramblepaw debated as he stood before the entrance, ears flicking lightly as nothing moved in the tunnel at all. Bramblepaw felt conflicted, but he ultimately decided to just push onward. Time was of the essence, he still needed to get to Windclan and pass along the message to meet at Highstones to them too. Waiting just wasn’t an option.  
The tom slipped through the tunnel, controlling his breathing as he appeared on the other side. As was expected, he was immediately tackled the moment he stood to full height, the force of the body hitting him hard. It knocked the wind out of Bramblepaw as he scrambled, turning his stomach face down and keeping his head low as to cover his neck. As soon as he was on his paws, several cats were surrounding him, all of which were growling rather lowly. They each assumed a defensive stance as well, their teeth bared towards Bramblepaw.  
Before any could attack, Bramblepaw spoke up.  
“I’m not here to hurt any of you,” he claimed, keeping his voice calm and in control. Even if he wondered whether or not they could hear his racing heartbeat, Bramblepaw had to keep some semblance of control. “I come with a message for Leopardstar!”  
Each of the cats spat at Bramblepaw, their various colored eyes shifting between uncertainty and hatred. None of them seemed to want to talk, and Bramblepaw didn’t want to fight at all. These cats were clan cats, they lost just as much as Thunderclan did. They were scared too, they probably saw a ghost in Bramblepaw, he looked so much like Tigerstar that they probably weren’t willing to talk to him.  
Bramblepaw slowly circled away from the edge of the Riverclan camp barrier, not wanting to be thrown into the thorns if a fight came to be. “Look, I just have a message to Leopardstar from Firestar, and I need to speak with her,” he spoke again, trying to get them to just listen.  
“You came to the wrong place, then.”  
Glancing up, Bramblepaw saw the Riverclan leader’s spotted pelt sitting on a branch. Her body seemed frail, she was thinner than she had once been, something Bramblepaw hadn’t noticed at Fourtrees before. Her gaze was glaring, and Bramblepaw could feel the seething hatred emanating off the leader as if the toxic wave of Tigerstar’s leadership had poisoned her. As Bramblepaw’s focus shifted to the Riverclan leader, the other Riverclan cats slowly surrounded the young apprentice, who found himself continuing to hold his defensive stance.  
“I came to Riverclan on purpose,” Bramblepaw replied as he raised his voice, letting it carry to the skeletal Leopardstar. “Firestar’s message is-.”  
“What makes you think I care about Firestar’s message?” Leopardstar growled lowly. “Your precious Thunderclan leader ruined everything,” Leopardstar claimed as her tail flicked. “Tigerstar had a plan, we would unite under one cause, under one clan, even if he were a mouse brain looking for power! Tigerstar had a plan to deal with Bloodclan but he wanted to use them as a way to get Windclan and Thunderclan to join. Instead, Firestar decided to be the hero!” Leopardstar spat, her neck fur rising and her tail starting to thrash. “With the strength of the four clans, we could have easily driven out Bloodclan but Thunderclan decided to be heroes! Well look where it got us!”  
Bramblepaw took a deep breath, glancing to each cat that surrounded him before standing fully, knowing he was more exposed in this position. “How were we to know that Bloodclan existed?” Bramblepaw questioned the frail she-cat. “We were innocent in this matter! Look at the clan you serve and took an oath to protect!” Bramblepaw brought his gaze around, seeing little eyes in the queens’ den as well as a she-cat huddling over her kits. “Tigerstar brought nothing but destruction to Riverclan, it seems!” Bramblepaw worked to keep his voice calm as he noticed a couple young apprentices were watching with fear in their eyes as well… They saw exactly what Bramblepaw theorized they would see. “Leopardstar, we lost, and that is a fact. Bloodclan owns these territories, where will you go now that this place is gone?"  
Leopardstar bared her teeth. “Anywhere that doesn’t involve living with Thunderclan and Windclan pests! You sought to be free when we could’ve had peace and security-!”  
“At what cost!?” Bramblepaw countered with a growl. “At what cost to your clan would that be? Who had to die in order for Tigerstar to gain so much power? Because Thunderclan can tell you, Firestar can tell you! You are not alone in this loss, everyone has suffered because Tigerstar succumbed to greed and power and used that power to try and get us to be under his control. Is that a clan worth living in?” Bramblepaw bared his own teeth right back at Leopardstar.  
“And how can we trust the offspring of Tigerstar himself?” Leopardstar growled, leaning her head down as she stood on the branch, her claws digging into the bark. “You could just try and lead us into a trap, Firestar will probably just kill us-!”  
To even suggest such a thing pissed Bramblepaw off, his head raising as he planted his paws firmly in the hard soil beneath him. “You know Firestar better than that!” he hissed. “Firestar has always been a great warrior, kittypet or not, and he has much more wisdom than any of you. Instead of wallowing in this loss and waiting to die, he wants to bring the clans away from here and start again, find a new place where we can be who we are! To uphold the warrior code, even if he lost what felt like everything!” Bramblepaw’s claws dug into the ground. “We are clan cats, not enemies!”  
The words hung in the clearing for a while, several other warriors and apprentices, even an elder or two coming out to see what the ruckus was about. They watched Bramblepaw with weary eyes, they were all tired and far weakened… Some even seemed not to be fed very well, looking almost as thin as Leopardstar was now. Even the Riverclan leader fell silent.  
“Look, if you want to sit here and suffer when Bloodclan arrives to finish off the scraps of the clans, then be my guest,” Bramblepaw spat before taking a calm breath and his amber gaze waving over the groups of clan cats. “The rest of you can decide for yourselves what you want to do… Thunderclan will be at Highstones tomorrow at sun-high, and we will figure out where to move from there. We will be out of reach of Bloodclan there for a little while, and we can take the time to maybe get a sign from Starclan as to where we should go.” Bramblepaw didn’t know whether that last part would be true or not, but he hoped they would have some sort of sign… “I will leave now, but Firestar wants anyone who still believes in the Warrior Code to come with him to a new territory. He won’t force anyone to join him, but he will accept anyone with a raised tail if that means anything to you.”  
Leopardstar watched Bramblepaw carefully, her tail swaying in irritation as she slowly raised her head now. “Leave now, leave us be. Don’t come back.”  
Bramblepaw’s ear flicked several times before he bowed his head to the Riverclan leader. “I won’t, you have my word, Leopardstar,” he replied as he glared up to her. He kept his head low, still showing respect, but finding that he didn’t have all that much respect for the Riverclan leader. Turning away, he kept his head low, making sure to protect himself from any potential attack if a cat decided to attack him outright…  
Each warrior watched him carefully, furs stood on end and their eyes were entirely prepared for Bramblepaw to make the slightest wrong movement. As Bramblepaw stood at the tunnel of Riverclan camp, he lifted his head and took one last look at the Riverclan camp. He noticed a couple Shadowclan warriors amongst the clan, but almost all of them were watching with some sort of disdain or disinterest. None seemed to have the mindset on moving, but Bramblepaw could tell that a few of them were extensively worried about their current situation…  
Bloodclan is coming, and they won’t give you all up so easily once they catch you… They’re rogues, not friends, Bramblepaw thought before slipping outside the reed tunnel, head low as he left Riverclan behind himself.  
And they’re extremely dangerous.

***

Bramblepaw waited on the border of Windclan for a rather long while, feeling his body becoming sorer, especially having taken the brunt force of a tackle not awfully long after the battle with Bloodclan. His shoulders burned but he had to press onward, and since no patrols were passing by, Bramblepaw decided to just move into Windclan territory. Unlike Riverclan, they may not attack him outright or even be mad that he entered the territory at all… It wasn’t as if they would live there for much longer unless they had a death wish.  
A cool breeze blew through the moor, relaxing Bramblepaw’s burning muscles as he slowly made his way through the late day grass. The clouds had since parted since the earlier portion of the day, leaving the sunset in the distance as Bramblepaw felt the cool air… A decent mix of warmth and breeze, enough to keep him going as he made his way further up the moor. Unlike Riverclan, he knew where the Windclan camp had been, which was a huge dip in the moor free from the wind just beyond the larger hills that made up the bulk of Windclan territory. The grass was also much taller here, brushing against Bramblepaw’s sides. A cat who wanted to sneak could very well do so, but Bramblepaw wasn’t looking to sneak into Windclan territory. There wasn’t a point to it.  
Reaching the top of the moor, Bramblepaw’s eyes caught sight of the Windclan camp. There was movement all around, and several cats were sitting in the center, their bodies low.  
They started the grieving ceremony, Bramblepaw noted as he slowly made his way down the hillside with his ears perked and body tall as possible. He wanted to be noticed before reaching the camp, though with how busy they seemed to be, he didn’t know if they would see him coming down the hill. A bunch of thickets were dragged from the nearby trees atop the opposite side of the moor, being used as a makeshift barrier that was treated like a field of brambles rather than a real barrier… Part of it was trampled over, showing that Thunderclan wasn’t the only one to suffer an attack from Bloodclan while they were distracted.  
Bramblepaw reached the bottom of the dip, his paws carefully stepping between the cracks in the thicket so that he didn’t cut himself up more. The moor was large, and Windclan’s camp was remarkably similar. Without need to fight with the other clans, as their territory wasn’t optimal for Shadowclan, Riverclan, or Thunderclan, they had a lot of space to expand their camp.  
Not that it matters now…  
Some cats began to notice Bramblepaw’s appearance, some jumping for a moment out of fear before realizing just who they had seen. Bramblepaw paid them no mind, his gaze searching around for Tallstar instead. He couldn’t find the leader anywhere he looked, however, and let out a long sigh. The clan began to whisper, so hopefully word would travel quickly that a Thunderclan apprentice had arrived in the camp. They probably already suspected who Bramblepaw was searching for.  
He slowly padded forward, noticing a few recently dug up piles of dirt and soil that probably contained whatever bodies they could carry home plus any that were in the camp in the first place.  
Bramblepaw slowly sat in an empty space between a few Windclan cats and bowed his head, giving the newly departed the respect they both deserved and earned…  
“May Starclan light your path,” the dark tabby whispered softly. Some of the Windclan cats who heard had smiled ever so slightly out of appreciation, before going back to a silent vigil. Those that weren’t remaining silent were amongst those helping get the clan back up to health. Barkface – Windclan’s only medicine cat – was taking care of several warriors at the den, with the help of a couple apprentices to deliver medicine to those who seemed to refuse to move from their vigil. The warriors by Barkface watched Bramblepaw as he pulled away from the vigil, the apprentice padding over to the clan cats and glancing to them.  
“I’m looking for Tallstar, Firestar needs a message to get to him,” Bramblepaw explained with a lower than normal voice, letting those in vigil remain in silence.  
Barkface glanced around and leaned up on both hind legs, before sitting back down and shrugging. “He’s here somewhere, what’s the message?”  
Bramblepaw glanced back towards the few Windclan warriors left, then turned his attention back to Barkface. “Firestar wants anyone who is willing to meet at Highstones tomorrow, so that we can discuss a plan and find a new place to live,” the tom explained as he kept his paws close together. “I don’t know how long such a journey will take, but it is a journey we need to do if we want to keep the clans alive,” Bramblepaw finished as he curled his tail around his front paws.  
The mottled medicine cat gave Bramblepaw a small smile. “Well that makes perfect sense to me, young one. When I see Tallstar, I will deliver the message. He will be more than happy to oblige by such a request, I’m sure.” Barkface frowned, one ear flicking. “Maybe not about leaving the territories, but Firestar has proven to be a respectable leader, even if we lost this battle. If anyone can lead us to a new territory, I’m sure Firestar will at least have a plan.”  
“I think he will.” At least, I hope so, Bramblepaw tread that thought wearily. Firestar didn’t seem like he could really lead the clans much of anywhere, but that could be the initial grief just hitting him the hardest. He was supposed to save the clans, yet now he is just a cat who has failed. A failed destiny… I wonder how often that happens, Bramblepaw sighed.  
“For now, you should rest here for tonight, Bramblepaw,” Barkface offered, a half-hearted smile on the tom’s face. “It’s a long journey back to Thunderclan, and I’m sure Riverclan and… Bloodclan, won’t be so nice about you entering their territories. You were lucky to make it this far.”  
Bramblepaw shook his head. “I have a clan to get back to, I owe them my life. I will be okay, I’m not just a helpless apprentice. Just make sure the message gets to Tallstar, and I will make sure to make it back to my clan safe and sound,” Bramblepaw bowed his head. “I’m sure the leftover warriors from my clan are starting their vigil now, and I can sneak back in the cover of the night. My fur is dark enough.”  
“If you say so… Just be careful, and if you need to eat before you go, we have plenty of fresh-kill. If we are moving out tomorrow, it’ll go to waste anyways.” Barkface turned to another warrior, continuing to apply chewed up herbs to the warrior’s cut along his lower neck and upper chest. “May Starclan light your path, Bramblepaw.”  
“And may Starclan light yours, and the rest of you,” Bramblepaw replied as he stood back up on all four paws and walked away from the group of warriors. Unlike the meeting with Riverclan, Bramblepaw found that this meeting was way easier to handle. A short talk with the medicine cat, and a promise to be at Highstones tomorrow was all the apprentice could ask for, and he considered the mission a success. Even if Riverclan refused to come, he got the message across, and it was all that was necessary to guarantee that some cats would probably leave the territories…  
Bramblepaw climbed his way up the moor, glancing back only once to see that some cats were looking up to him now, even some who had been laying in silent vigil since he arrived. They watched him, eyes glowing with some sort of hope lying behind them.  
Smiling back, the tom moved beyond the moor, disappearing behind the grass and heading back home to Thunderclan…  
If he could even call it a home anymore.


	7. 5: Dreams

Chapter 5

The path back home was longer than Bramblepaw remembered, and the lack of eating was finally chipping away at his stomach as he struggled forward. Some distance to his left, he could see Fourtrees, still quite the distance away. Both ears perked and Bramblepaw stretched his front paws momentarily, his jaw parting in a yawn as he struggled to push forward farther. His stomach was complaining, and Bramblepaw’s paws were burning with the journey having been so long. The moon had already risen well above the horizon, a bright white circular light, shining down towards the forest.  
Amidst the glowing rays, Bramblepaw saw the brightened Fourtrees, his paws stopping as he finally just stopped a moment to take a look at the moon and the visible stars in the sky… Which ones were his ancestors? Was Tigerstar watching him now? The young tom didn’t know, and he sighed with his lips curled down a bit, disgusted by the idea of Tigerstar watching over him… He would never want such an evil father to consider going near him again.  
Where do such cats go…? Bramblepaw wondered as he unknowingly turned towards Fourtrees and started walking towards it. His paws carried him instinctively to the Gathering, smelling not the blood, but the scents of the four different clans as he remembered during the last full moon… Riverclan and the scent of fish and water, but the cats were large and had their strength. Bramblepaw remembered talking to one of the only apprentices to show up from their clan last moon, when Tigerstar gave Windclan and Thunderclan one moon to make a decision.  
Join Tigerclan or face annihilation.  
And annihilation it was, Bramblepaw kept to himself, smelling Windclan’s scent carry over the moor. They were the smaller cats who were able to stalk in the long grass. Some were considerably tall for their clan, but they did well, considering. Somehow, they carried the scent of wind with them, their bodies built to handle speed and grace over power.  
Bramblepaw pushed through the light undergrowth to Fourtrees, standing amidst the moonlit rays where the blood-stained rock sat directly in the center. I shouldn’t be here, Bramblepaw reminded himself, though he did nothing to turn away. His body faced Shadowclan’s side of the gathering place, able to see the silhouettes of cats with a pine needle or two in their fur. They smelled of mud and squirrels, and they all had rather dark pelts, like Bramblepaw’s. They could hide in the shadows, hunt in the forest that lacked undergrowth.  
Another gust of light wind blew through the clearing, Bramblepaw shifting awkwardly before padding up to the great rock, imagining the four leaders sitting atop the rock.  
Firestar sitting on the far left, watching over Thunderclan and Windclan talking. Leopardstar on the far right, her ears perked and her gaze glaring down anyone who thought they could look up to her (Bramblepaw almost able to feel the sassy nature coming from the leader without her ever being here). Tallstar sitting by Firestar, probably talking about some stupid thing that happened in the last moon and laughing it off.  
And then Tigerstar… his amber gaze watching Bramblepaw back just as closely. The amber was dark, almost a bloody red as Tigerstar seemed to lean down, a demonic grin appearing on his face as the former Shadowclan leader tilted his head slowly.  
“I’m not finished, Bramblepaw.”  
The voice rang through Bramblepaw’s ears so clearly and he stumbled back, blinking.  
As soon as the apparition had appeared, it was gone, and Bramblepaw’s chest heaved out and in repeatedly as he took deep breaths. The apparition was so clear, but Bramblepaw didn’t believe it. How could an evil cat ever make a return? It was impossible, and Bramblepaw shook his head, leaning down and taking long and slow breaths.  
I’m not finished.  
That was Tigerstar’s voice, Bramblepaw knew that, and his legs shook beneath him before the tom forced his muscles to tighten. Don’t let him get in your head, he’s dead. He’s done. He can’t do anything more to me, I have to get past him. Bramblepaw raised his head now and stood tall. “I’m not afraid of you, Tigerstar,” he growled lowly, feeling a warmth bathe his fur as he could see the ghostly apparition again, standing with the moon directly behind it. The pair of eyes were red this time, and thick crimson liquid slid down the surface of the pelt and against the rock. “You’re a dead cat now… You were never family,” Bramblepaw stated as he began to back away.  
The grin reappeared, showing the long sharp teeth that could pierce any pelt. Glowing claws scraped against the rock, leaving gentle marks in the surface, but just visible enough for Bramblepaw to see. Tigerstar was there, he was watching Bramblepaw, the demonic grin and ghastly red eyes still wasn’t enough to make Bramblepaw show any sign of fear.  
Bramblepaw didn’t think a dead cat could do anything, and he refused to believe such until proven otherwise. The tom lowered his head, more to protect his own neck just in case, and started to back away from the rock. The former Shadowclan leader didn’t say anything, the blood rushing from his neck onto the rock and some of it starting to touch the blades of grass. This was nothing but a way to make Bramblepaw scared, a manifestation of his fears, that Tigerstar wouldn’t die as long as he kept remembering him.  
Turning away, Bramblepaw darted out of Fourtrees and began to take deep breaths again, coughing and hacking a moment as his heartbeat seemed to burst into his ears, showing signs of his own life. Paranoia grasped the apprentice, thinking it wasn’t his heartbeat for a moment, but he quickly calmed down and sat on the grass.  
He could feel the spirits surrounding him, Bramblepaw feeling something brush along his right side while his whiskers bent forward, as if a cat had come from behind him and rubbed against his side. Bramblepaw felt the warmth, however, and didn’t bother opening his eyes, finding himself mesmerized by the soft and gentle touch. He took in the scent, reminded of his time in the queens’ den with his mother, being scolded after a spat with the elders, and his mother doing the same to the elders who treated him poorly.  
Bramblepaw leaned lightly into the warmth. The elders can’t exactly insult me to my face now, can they…? He thought as he felt the slight weight of Goldenflower keeping him standing. “You never left, did you…?” Bramblepaw mumbled, only to be greeted with silence. He parted his jaw a bit, as if to ask something else, only to quickly close his mouth and relax at the soft and gentle lick between his ears. “Thank you, Goldenflower…” he mumbled again, pulling away and shaking out his fur. Goldenflower would follow him, he trusted her to keep him safe, that she would protect him from the darkness for as long as she could possibly do.  
It wasn’t realistic that she would be beside him forever, but it was enough of a comfort that Bramblepaw felt himself relax in her care. She wasn’t physically there, she wasn’t alive, but she was in Starclan. Even from there, he had to believe she would protect him.  
“Bramblepaw, what’re you doing out here!?”  
The apprentice blinked and glanced to his left, the sound originating from Thunderclan territory. His ears perked as he noticed three cats slowly moving up the small slope over towards Fourtrees, towards him. The first was Firestar’s signature fiery ginger pelt with his green eyes glowing and showing ferocity. What had once been a kittypet tom was now a warrior and mentor who looked rather angry, his teeth bared a bit. Behind him were two grayer cats, both of which were limping. Cinderpelt was standing alongside Graystripe, who’s injuries were wrapped in pulp and leaves. Neither of them bothered to stop Firestar as the charismatic leader stepped in front of Bramblepaw.  
“Why are you out by Fourtrees?” Firestar growled lightly, ears flicking in irritation.  
Bramblepaw blinked a moment before his ears pinned back and he lowered his head. “I… I went alone…” He mumbled apologetically, his tail swaying against the grass. “I… am unsure if the entirety of Riverclan will come with us, but I think some might, and Windclan should be joining us tomorrow at sun high…” He rapidly tried to speak, feeling his heart going back to pounding against his chest. “I’m sorry, but I did complete my mission-.”  
“I know you went alone! I’m not an idiot, and I had Cinderpelt confirm that suspicion for me!” Firestar sighed and shook his head. “What I’m asking is why you’re by Fourtrees, this place is dangerous.”  
“Then why are you here? With Graystripe and Cinderpelt?” Bramblepaw countered, diverting his gaze from his mentor as his tail fluffed outwards.  
Firestar’s eyes widened before he relaxed, the Thunderclan leader glancing back to the two aforementioned cats before bringing his attention back to Bramblepaw. “We are heading to the Moonstone and spending the night there… Longtail was already informed to lead the clan to Highstones at the break of day, as soon as possible. We left early so that I can visit Starclan, and Graystripe insisted on coming with us as to not slow the rest of the clan down in the morning, just in case Bloodclan decides to finish us off earlier than sun-high.” The leader sighed before his gaze glanced to Shadowclan territory, the green eyes narrowing. “I can’t have you going back alone, it is too dangerous. You’ll just come with us.”  
Bramblepaw tensed as he looked up to Firestar. “O-Oh… Um… Okay…” the tom stammered before standing up, raising his tail which curled further back and down along the halfway point, making a similar shape to a slithering snake, yet far fluffier. Without another word, Firestar turned away and walked back down the slope so that he was a little less visible to the Shadowclan territory.  
Bramblepaw remained behind Firestar now, following the tom and feeling a sense of dread emanating off the leader’s pelt. Something was wrong, his paw steps were rough against the grass yet still quiet. His ears were perked and his green gaze was unusually narrowed. The tom’s pelt was slightly darker, some of the dried blood hadn’t been cleaned off yet. Firestar’s tail was low, and his lips remained curled slightly down in a frown. The tom looked…  
Angry.  
It was the only word Bramblepaw could use to describe just what he was seeing. Firestar always remained calm, but now the leader’s calmness was seeping away and the anger was sliding out like tree sap. The further they walked – the more Bramblepaw’s paws burned – the more Firestar seemed to lower his head, as if preparing to pounce.  
They moved slowly, however, to compensate for Graystripe’s slower pace. Bramblepaw couldn’t help but glance to the gray-furred warrior, noticing how bad of a limp he had. The tom’s forepaw was shredded and bitten apart, and he was leaning on Cinderpelt in order to keep a semi-decent pace at all. Seeing the warrior like this… Bramblepaw could only hope he would heal. Graystripe may have gotten into trouble in the past, but he was a kind-hearted tom with extreme loyalty to his friends. Like Bramblepaw had done, even Graystripe was watching Firestar rather closely. Neither he nor the medicine cat offered any consolation, opting to remain quiet as they walked further towards Highstones.  
Then Graystripe’s gaze caught sight of Bramblepaw watching him, and the gray tom immediately lost the straight face and watchful gaze on Firestar. “Hey Bramblepaw… I hope you’re doing alright?” The tom asked with no disingenuous intent. His ears perked as he gave Bramblepaw a gentle smile.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Bramblepaw replied as he slowly looked away. “How’s your leg doing?”  
“Hurts… Most definitely hurts,” Graystripe admitted with a chuckle. “I’ve got to say, those Bloodclan cats fought viciously, but I’m just glad to be alive.” The gray tom’s smile twitched, but he remained adamant in keeping up the show. “I came with Cinderpelt and Firestar because I didn’t want to slow my clan down, I can’t exactly keep a decent walking pace… I can barely put any weight on it-.”  
“As you shouldn’t,” Cinderpelt barely nudged the tom, nowhere near enough to knock the warrior over. “And complaining won’t help out, mouse-brain,” she added with a slight hint of playfulness edging her tone.  
It sounded somewhat forced.  
“Well I’m sure the clan wouldn’t have minded,” Bramblepaw replied, his head raised slightly as he tilted it. “They probably would’ve helped you out with anything you needed.”  
Graystripe laughed. “I’d rather be a burden to these two than the entire clan! Besides… Now I have you to help me,” the tom grinned and tilted a bit, Cinderpelt almost falling over herself as Graystripe leaned against Bramblepaw. The apprentice had to shuffle his paws, eyes widened as he almost fell over, but he managed to remain standing with Graystripe’s heavier weight pressed against his flank. “See! Now you can help me, Cinderpelt shouldn’t have to do all the work!”  
“Mouse-brain!” Cinderpelt spat as she shook out her paw before hopping forward to catch up with them. “Do you think before you do anything!?” the medicine cat flicked Graystripe’s ear with her tail. “Warn me next time! I can’t exactly walk either!”  
The gray tom’s laugh echoed again as he remained leaning against Bramblepaw for support. “Oh relax, Cinderpelt… Thing’s could be far worse.”  
Yeah, Bramblepaw thought somewhat bitterly. Like how my legs definitely don’t already hurt enough, now I have your weight to keep balanced too. Bramblepaw lowered his gaze, drowning out the playful argument between Graystripe and Cinderpelt. His ears just listened to the gentle winds along the slopes as they pressed through Windclan territory. The familiar Windclan scent stuck to Bramblepaw’s nose, his ears remaining as relaxed as possible and aimed outwards rather than forwards. No sounds besides the brushing of long grass was heard, and it wasn’t long until Bramblepaw didn’t need to drown out the voices of Cinderpelt and Graystripe, both having just laughed it off and just began walking.  
Firestar remained awfully quiet, the tom on a mission, but he didn’t shiver or back down. It was becoming clearer to Bramblepaw that his talk with Starclan was only going to go one way…

***

The patrol consisting of the limp medicine cat, tired apprentice, injured warrior, and benevolent leader made it to Highstones with no problem. They kept their ears and eyes out for any predators or potential attackers but found that there was nothing around them to truly be worried about. Firestar padded up to the gaping mouth of Highstones, peering into the darkness as his tail flicked.  
“Graystripe, Bramblepaw… Stay out here and rest for a while, you both need it. Cinderpelt… Come with me,” the leader broke the silence. Cinderpelt gave a glance to the two warriors and gave them a shrug, quickly bouncing forward and stepping into the darkness with Firestar, both disappearing as silhouettes into the black gaping mouth. Bramblepaw didn’t know where the Moonstone inside was, but he heard of it being super bright once the moon’s light touched it.  
Helping Graystripe to the edge of the rocky clearing, he helped the tom lay down on the softer patches of grass. “Do you need anything?” Bramblepaw asked sincerely, giving the warrior some space as he stretched, then proceeded to wince as he accidentally stretched his bad paw.  
“Nope… To be honest, I needed out of the camp, even if I won’t see it again,” Graystripe admitted. “Everyone there is keeping vigil, even if they know full well that we are leaving tomorrow…” Graystripe closed his eyes and rested his head in the grass, tail waving against the blades of green while his body remained beneath the light undergrowth so that he could rest. “I hope you didn’t want to see it again either, Bramblepaw, I don’t think you’ll get another chance,” Graystripe admitted without looking up.  
“It’s… alright,” Bramblepaw sighed, moving to another clear spot in the undergrowth before laying on the cool grass. Compared to the heat of the battle earlier that day, Bramblepaw felt blissful in this spot. He didn’t know if he could sleep, though, but his eyes were already closed by the time he even thought about it. “The clan doesn’t need me right now anyways…” And maybe I can get away from Tigerstar if we leave, Bramblepaw wondered with what little hope he had in his heart.  
“No, but the clan will need help tomorrow, as well as anyone who joins us,” Graystripe pointed out. “You should rest as much as you can tonight, tomorrow will be a long day, and I’m sure there will be many questioning where we would even go. Hopefully, someone can answer that question…” Graystripe yawned, his voice trailing off before his flank lifted and lowered in the gentle motions of breathing. The tom must have been really tired, he had been beaten raw, scratched to Starclan, and just made a long journey to Highstones in the same day…  
Bramblepaw couldn’t blame him, and Bramblepaw was right. Even though his eyes were closed, unlike Graystripe (who had already begun to snore quite loudly), Bramblepaw just couldn’t find himself falling asleep. The anxiety of the day refused to let him go, and Bramblepaw just remained laying there…  
Sitting up, the apprentice opened his eyes and glanced to the mouth of Highstones. His ears perked up and his gaze rested on the dark cavern. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he tried to fall asleep, but Bramblepaw slowly stood up and silently padded across the rock. His paw steps were almost nonexistent, and his fur remained against him rather than fluffing out. The gentle calling of whispers came from the cave.  
“Firestar?” Bramblepaw called out into the cave, hearing the whispers get louder for only a moment before shifting deeper into the depths of the lightless entrance. A breeze from behind Bramblepaw blew past him and deeper into the darkness, as if leading the apprentice into it.  
Swallowing, Bramblepaw stepped into the dark cave, ears perked and eyes partially narrowed as he tried to see the surroundings.  
There wasn’t even an outline of anything to see, Bramblepaw continuing to move deeper and deeper until the light of the entrance was long gone from behind him. Turning around, his amber eyes tried to find something, but he found himself just staring at nothing. Slowly, Bramblepaw returned to his original position, taking a deep breath and sniffing the stale air. Firestar’s and Cinderpelt’s scents were fresh still, fresh enough to follow, so the tom began to follow the scents slowly. His paws carried further down, the whispers seeming to get louder in his ears, as if someone were whispering directly into them…  
As if the darkness wasn’t bad enough, but the whispers made Bramblepaw shiver until his eyes finally found light. It was shining, and two cats lay before it with their pelts silhouetted against the sheen of the Moonstone.  
“Wow…” Bramblepaw whispered as he stalked forward, head low and glancing up to the ceiling. A hole showed the moon was only a quarter of the way past the edge of the hole, and Bramblepaw hesitantly shifted his body to the left side of the stone, a bit further from the cats laying beside it. Their noses were pressed against the hard stone, and both seemed completely relaxed and calm. This is the Moonstone… Bramblepaw thought with awe, feeling the light brush of another cat against his pelt. Like before, he relaxed at the gentle touch but didn’t look towards the cat that brushed against him.  
A tail brushed along his shoulders, applying light pressure to them until Bramblepaw finally submitted and lay down by the Moonstone. Reaching his nose forward, he pressed it against the shining stone and took a deep breath…  
And like that, he was out cold, sleeping against the shining stone as the moon overhead hovered to the opposite side of the hole…

***

Bramblepaw opened his eyes to the orange colors of leaf-fall, the scent carrying with it that of rain and overall wetness. His ears perked as he felt re-energized, his legs no longer burning and his scratches and cuts seeming to dissipate into nothing. Stretching, the apprentice started to glance around, looking in wonder as the sky was bright with sunlight and several medium-gray clouds. There was a moment where Bramblepaw had forgotten the previous day, his body just feeling warm and well while there wasn’t the pit of dread sitting at the bottom of his stomach, his heart no longer churning.  
The gentle breeze sliding through his fur, the sunlight warm and welcoming to the apprentice as it didn’t overheat him like a mid-greenleaf day. His thick pelt caused him to shed fur throughout greenleaf, and Bramblepaw was always annoyed with the amount of care he had to put into his pelt. But this warmth… It was perfect, comfortable, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the moment…  
“I see you are enjoying yourself.”  
Bramblepaw whirled around, his eyes wide as he was caught entirely by surprise. He didn’t even open his mouth to hiss or anything, just a sudden urge to run… But he instantly relaxed as he recognized the pale ginger fur and soft orange gaze of Goldenflower. “I… I am…” Bramblepaw admitted, sitting down in front of his mother and awkwardly glancing down.  
“It’s been a rather long day, hasn’t it?” Goldenflower whispered, sitting beside Bramblepaw and curling her tail around the apprentice with a gentle smile spreading across her lips, her whiskers twitching with some light amusement. “It’s okay to relax here, you’re safe with me.”  
Nodding, the tom leaned into his mother and inhaled for several heartbeats. “Where are Firestar and Cinderpelt?” he asked quietly, feeling a slight tinge of worry after having seen Firestar’s intent stare forward during the trek to Highstones. “They’re okay, right?”  
Goldenflower hesitated, but her tail brushed against Bramblepaw’s shoulders. “They’re fine, yes, and you have no need to worry about them. They will be fine. They’re just talking with other Starclan cats about things.”  
“What sort of… things?” Bramblepaw glanced up to Goldenflower, frowning and still feeling worry for his mentor.  
“Worrying over your mentor will only make the situation worse,” Goldenflower explained quietly, her ears shifting back and against her head lightly. “Firestar can handle these things on his own, just relax with me, Bramblepaw… Please?”  
There wasn’t enough of a reason for Bramblepaw not to go looking for Firestar, and he shook his head. “I… I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he stood up and glanced around. “But I want to make sure Firestar is okay for myself.” Pulling away from Goldenflower, he felt the slight sting of regret, not wanting to abandon his mother. She probably brought him here on purpose, so that they could talk again, but Bramblepaw was worried over the well-being of his living clanmates first and foremost.  
To his surprise – and his delight – Goldenflower didn’t seem to want to sit idly by and just watch her kit walk away. She followed without another word, but her presence was enough for Bramblepaw to keep moving forward.  
Firestar’s scent was in the air, he had woken up here too, and Bramblepaw had quickly started to follow the scent like he had done in the cavern before he went to sleep. Keeping a close listen and a sharp eye, Bramblepaw followed his mentor’s scent and kept his attention off the soft and gentle paw steps of his mother right behind him. Bramblepaw even passed several other Starclan cats as he followed Firestar’s scent. Most he had no recognition of, they were older ancestors, probably. Or of other clans. Each cat that passed watched Bramblepaw, probably recognizing that he was not a Starclan cat but was living. Without a medicine cat to guide him, and with how young he was, the obvious solution may have been that he was just a curious apprentice…  
Bramblepaw ignored the glances he was getting, his ears picking up on the soft sounds of Firestar’s voice up ahead, before they paused and someone else responded to him. It sounded familiar… Bramblepaw was certain it was someone he knew.  
After clearing a larger patch of undergrowth, being quiet as he did so, he came out to a clearing of several cats.  
Firestar was standing in front of about nine other cats, various toms and she-cats, while Cinderpelt sat a bit behind him and off to the side. Firestar’s fur was on end and he was standing tall, as if to defy the Starclan cats he was talking to.  
“What happened to saving everyone?” Firestar spat. “I tried my hardest, I did what I had to for trying to stop Tigerstar and he still won!” Firestar lowered his head, growling now, the buildup of anger reaching its boiling point. “He might be dead but he caused chaos and destroyed the clans as we knew it. Where are we even supposed to go?”  
The cat to speak up first was the blue-gray she-cat and previous Thunderclan leader, Bluestar, her eyes trying to remain focused on Firestar. “We can’t control everything. Contrary to what you might believe, prophecies are just that. Prophecies. They don’t control everything; they don’t guarantee that they are true. What happens, happens. Prophecies just guide us, and sometimes they end up becoming false… Besides, that doesn’t mean the prophecy was false at all, Firestar,” Bluestar sighed. “The clans can still survive, they still have a chance to make it out of this alive. In the rubble of this defeat, we’ve found out more about the future of the clans.” Bluestar glanced to a reddish-furred cat beside her, a tom, who padded forward to speak.  
“The clans were never meant to stay in this forest,” the red-furred cat explained, his ear flicking. “They were always meant to leave this forest and travel much further away. Had you succeeded, one day, the twolegs would come and tear down the forest. While we do not know what this would entail, we know that there is a lake perfectly created for the clan cats to live in… But we do not know what danger resides there, nor do we know the original prophecy that was supposed to go with this journey. Only that a cat from each clan would discover the existence of this lake and lead the clans across the mountains to journey there. Instead of that uncovered prophecy, we must now have you lead the clans away from this forest.” The red furred tom glanced to Bluestar, before bringing his gaze back to Firestar. “I do not think this will be the last you have seen of Bloodclan, Firestar. When the time comes for this forest to be taken down, I wonder if they will find the clans where they are now. Things have a way of coming back to us, if we leave something behind or we don’t say the things we want to say, they bite us back in the future. Since the clans couldn’t nip away Bloodclan permanently, they will probably return.”  
Firestar’s anger was emanating from him like a fire, Bramblepaw could feel it from where he stood, and he felt Goldenflower’s tail brush against his shoulder.  
“Again? The cats who come with us will barely be more than half of the remaining clan cats than there were yesterday, at best,” Firestar growled back. “Fighting Scourge and his clan again will only result in our deaths, they were much stronger than what we were prepared to fight-.”  
“We know,” Bluestar interrupted this time. “But in reality, it was only two clans versus every rogue in Twolegplace,” Bluestar pointed out with the light flick of her tail. “I don’t like it any more than you do, Firestar, but please trust in us when we say that this isn’t the end. The clans are alive, and we still need a defender. We have one final thing to tell you.”  
There was a light pause, lasting only a few heartbeats before the nine cats standing before Firestar and Bramblepaw spoke in unison.  
“When the clans look for strength, look for a silver light to guide you through the chaos. Woven together, silver and you will mend and protect the roots from the tiger in the stars.”  
Bramblepaw blinked as the cats spoke, their lips didn’t move, and their voices appeared directly in his ears. They didn’t speak to Firestar at all, who seemed to only be more irritated by this development.  
“What is it you want to say?” Firestar asked with a bit more calmness to his voice, as if he finally got his anger under control. His whiskers twitched lightly.  
“Be a good mentor, be a good leader, and most importantly… Protect the code.”  
“Even at the cost of my life,” Firestar nodded in agreement, lowering his gaze as he sat down, seeming more relaxed. “I understand. I will train Bramblepaw well, he will need a lot more training but he is a good apprentice…” Firestar raised his head again. “I will be sure he becomes a better warrior than Tigerstar ever was. He has already earned a lot of respect from the clan, something I’m sure he will notice when the dust settles from the battle… he defied Tigerstar, and I know he has loyalty in Thunderclan.”  
The council standing before Firestar gave the Thunderclan leader a brief nod. “Then go back and rest, you have a long journey starting tomorrow. We still have our trust in you, Firestar, so find the clans a new home. We will do our best to enlighten the dark path ahead.”  
Firestar hesitated this time, but he gave a polite nod. “I have to put my trust in Starclan. They will guide the clans to their new home, and I will protect them with all that I have.”  
Bramblepaw slowly backed away now, slinking into the darkness of the undergrowth…  
Then his eyes opened, and he felt the cold touch as darkness sifted down into the large cavern. The open room was dark, but the other two cats were still sleeping soundly. Firestar’s fur was lightly on end before it began to relax along his neck. Without wanting to disturb them, Bramblepaw slowly stood, feeling his bones and muscles creak with each little movement he made. Bramblepaw was still sore, but he quietly dipped out of the room and followed the scent trail back outside.  
Glancing to the snoring Graystripe, and then up to the stars, he spoke quietly to himself.  
“That prophecy wasn’t intended for Firestar, was it?” Bramblepaw whispered. “Look for a silver light to guide you through the chaos, what do you mean by that…?” Bramblepaw shivered, claws scraping the rock beneath his paws. “And why did you give me that prophecy…?”


	8. 6: Deprivation

The rest of the night was less than sleepless for Bramblepaw. His eyes remained half open through most of the starry and somewhat cloudy nighttime as the moon dipped into the horizon, sifting away into the opposite horizon with the sun as it rose and gleamed a light into the makeshift den Bramblepaw had made for himself near Graystripe. The gray thick-pelted warrior was groaning as the sun rose and he began to awaken. Bramblepaw paid no attention to the tom, and he only heard a few paw steps as – travelling from his left to his right – he heard the soft and off-rhythmic walk of Cinderpelt’s. Her limp could still be heard… Even if it wasn’t as bad as it had been moons ago.  
When Bramblepaw finally sat up, his fur was sticking out all over the place, the tom resembling more a tabby porcupine than a cat. He felt drowsy as soon as he sat up, his mind wandering rapidly as his vision tunneled. Most of the night he had spent worrying over the words he had heard while listening to Firestar talk to Starclan.  
Silver… Who is Silver…? Bramblepaw wondered as he placed his left paw a little forward to his right, keeping his body balanced. The drowsiness remained, the apprentice having gotten little to no sleep since awakening at the moonstone. Raising his head, Bramblepaw’s amber gaze caught sight of a pair of green eyes watching him from the top of Highstones, way above the entrance to the caverns. The sun reflected off fiery orange fur, and the gaze was narrowed right down to Bramblepaw.  
A frown escaped Bramblepaw’s lips, which then proceeded to part as Bramblepaw felt a sudden sickness from seeing such a narrow gaze on his own. His stomach churned deep inside, and the tom flexed his claws and muscles a moment to try and get his body to relax. Have to get the blood flowing, Bramblepaw told himself as he stood up, turning away from the pair of dark green eyes and instead pulling himself to a stand. Bramblepaw’s legs felt weak, though he quickly tried to shake his head and rid himself of the feeling before turning around and heading deeper into the tree line, pushing past the undergrowth until he could overlook some of the clans. While some trees were in the way on the small hill, not making Windclan territory visible, Bramblepaw felt he would still be able to see clan cats coming from Riverclan and maybe even Thunderclan, if the groups were large enough.  
Yet I don’t know the size of any of the clans anymore, Bramblepaw thought as he lowered his gaze, glancing down. Beyond another set of trees below was the monster path, the black smooth rock paving the way for monsters… Not only do they have to travel across the territory, but we need all the cats to make it across without getting hit by monsters, Bramblepaw sighed as he raised his gaze again. They still had time, he was certain.  
The sun had only just moved above the horizon, they had half a day to get up and get to Highstones before Bloodclan would drive them off.  
I wonder how many will stay behind to face the wrath of Bloodclan, Bramblepaw questioned before shaking his head. None. None should stay behind, hopefully they will all return to Highstones. We know where we are going, we just need to hope that no one has any further complaints…  
Bramblepaw had a complaint. That they would need to leave the territory. He could already see the Thunderclan forest from where he sat, similar to the trees he sat beneath. The dark tabby didn’t even get much of a chance to mourn the loss of the warriors and elders, but the day previous had been rough since sunrise, and Bramblepaw had fallen prey to being busy and doing a lot more than he was prepared for. They lost, and the young apprentice could still taste the blood in his mouth from the Bloodclan rogues he had to fight.  
“How could we lose…?” Bramblepaw whispered, feeling his body tremble. Emotions had begun to swell inside, his chest unable to contain more than a half-breath of air. To think… They lost everything they had, the territories had been owned by the clans for countless generations…  
“Who knows?”  
Bramblepaw turned his head up to the voice, ears flicking as he almost hissed in surprise, one paw raised above to protect his chest instinctively. His gaze quickly caught sight of the standing and once proud warrior of Firestar. The leader himself started to look disheveled, his fur sticking up in a couple different places like his shoulder and a couple tufts by his ears. He didn’t compare to Bramblepaw’s messy fur, though.  
Firestar sat beside Bramblepaw, his ears flicking momentarily as he began to look out over the clan territory, minus most of Windclan territory. “I’ve learned a lot since I was a kittypet, and if I’m honest, I don’t remember too much from my kittypet days anymore. That was so many moons ago, that being a warrior took over my entire life.” Firestar shuffled his paws, ears pricking more forwards, listening to the sounds of the forest around them. “As soon as I crossed that fence, as soon as I was told that I couldn’t have a paw in the world of kittypets and the world of warriors, I chose my fate and scratched it in stone. I chose to fight your father, I chose to hunt and to love and to care for clanmates who hated me so much. And now?” The leader slowly lay down on the grass, legs out and paws in slightly. “I feel it was for nothing. Tigerstar may be gone, but he left his scars for us to suffer with. This Scourge killed him in cold blood because he lied about the territory, it wasn’t big enough for everyone…”  
To hear about Scourge again reminded Bramblepaw of the conversation with Riverclan’s leader just the day before. “Leopardstar spoke about that to me yesterday…” Bramblepaw admitted as he sat down, getting a bit more comfortable as his head lowered. His fur coat still felt heavy against his body. “She spoke about Tigerstar’s plan, how he was going to unite the clans to face Bloodclan, as that was our only hope of winning. Four clans versus Bloodclan.”  
The ginger furred leader said nothing for a few heartbeats, before letting out a breath and shaking his head. “A problem he brought to the clans in the first place,” he pointed out. “He promised them territory, and he died as he lived. Lying and manipulating events to the outcome he wanted. He underestimated my resolve, along with Tallstar’s, and it would lead to his downfall… And ours, too.”  
“Yeah…” Bramblepaw responded very quietly, his ears lowering before he yawned.  
“Did you sleep at all?” Firestar raised the whiskers above his right eye, the whiskers by his nose twitching twice.  
Bramblepaw shook his head. “Not really… I… feel homesick,” the tom mumbled as he glanced back up to Thunderclan territory. I miss Goldenflower, and I miss the elders, and I miss hunting in the trees already… Bramblepaw spoke these words only to himself, rather than aloud. He would prefer not to speak of such things with Firestar, so soon after the loss.  
“I understand, but we have a long journey ahead of us. Our first day will probably be really slow, every cat will probably lack the same thing we both needed. Sleep. It isn’t easy thinking about these things, and this journey will take a few days, I’m sure.” Firestar closed his eyes, Bramblepaw noticing his claws unsheathing into the dirt. “The clans will be scared, ours included. I can only hope remnants of Shadowclan will join us, so that we can keep the four clans together, but I’m unsure…” The tom sighed and shook his head again.  
“This will take its toll on us,” Bramblepaw pointed out with the light flick of his tail. “It’ll take a toll on everyone who journeys with us. And we still need to find a place to go.” Bramblepaw didn’t want Firestar to know he had seen into the dream of Firestar’s, having gone to the Moonstone himself…  
Firestar shot him a darting glance, which quickly hopped off the dark tabby as the leader stood up. “Yeah, I do know where we are going… We were apparently always meant to leave the forest, into another territory that I was only told was called the Lake. A couple rivers, and enough territory for the four clans to reside by. We are to cross the mountains in the distance, just beyond Highstones, and hopefully it will only be a few days journey… Though I am quite unsure of how long it will take to reach the new territories. Could be a couple days… Could be several more.” The tom turned away and began walking back through the light undergrowth, Bramblepaw quickly turning and following him.  
Even walking felt like a hassle as the gravity above Bramblepaw weighed him down like a heavy stone. The lack of sleep would be a problem later, Bramblepaw didn’t want to slow the clans down, but falling asleep would be difficult with his heartbeat racing against his chest every second he remained awake. Just the idea of Starclan talking to him and him alone was odd enough, but the late evening of yesterday, seeing Tigerstar on the leaders’ rock… It was difficult to understand.  
Bramblepaw didn’t understand at all.  
And telling Firestar might spark something else, if not another of those shooting glares… Bramblepaw noticed, and disappointing Firestar was one of the last things he would ever want to do. The leader had become important to Bramblepaw…  
“Hopefully, the journey won’t take long,” Firestar continued. “I’ve already talked with Cinderpelt, at length, about the situation. It needs to be just far enough away that Bloodclan can’t reach us easily. It needs to be close enough as to not have cats die from exhaustion… Or close enough that we can move slowly so that they don’t…” The tom’s lips curled down as if he was ready to snarl, but they twitched back up to a more straighter expression.  
“I would hope the journey doesn’t take long,” Bramblepaw admitted as they moved back into the clearing before the mouth of the caves. Graystripe was sitting out in the sun, basking as Cinderpelt sat by the tom with her tail flicking from side to side. “And hopefully everyone will be okay…”  
Seeing Graystripe in his current condition, it was difficult to say whether he would even be able to perform warrior duties again… His leg was shredded and completely wrapped, and Bramblepaw was sure some part of his leg was thinner than it should’ve been, like a huge chunk had been taken out of it. The tom held his stance on the idea that he was fine, however, and treated everything like it would be normal.  
As long as the tom was sure, Bramblepaw would need to have faith in Starclan that Graystripe would be fine. He at least walked up to Highstones the night before, though Cinderpelt was watching over him like a hawk. That only added to Bramblepaw’s worries.  
And the prophecy told to him by Starclan itself…  
Everything felt wrong, like it wasn’t supposed to be this way, but Bramblepaw would persevere through it. He had to. Other cats would come to count on him, and one day he would be a warrior… That day would come eventually, but Bramblepaw had to earn that title, even if he fought every day previous, he would fight every day in the future to preserve his chance at earning the title of warrior.  
Sitting down, Bramblepaw began to rest, closing his eyes to let the darkness sift over his aching body. The travelling yesterday had burned deep into his muscles, it had been a long time since he had done such a long journey, but it was okay. He would be okay…  
“Sure you will, buddy.”  
Bramblepaw flinched, opening his eyes to dark skies and the black remains of barely standing trees. There wasn’t really light, but instead, just color. And the color that Bramblepaw could see was barely much more than browns, blacks, and darker shades of green. Shadows reached out, almost touching Bramblepaw’s paws as he stood up, glancing around. The sky had no stars, the trees were sparse and far apart, and there wasn’t even the shuffle of a mouse.  
“W-Where am I…?” Bramblepaw whispered, his ears perked as he continued to glance around. His tail lowered as did his head, his eyes narrowing. The gravity felt stronger here, and after a moment in the darkness, Bramblepaw felt the pair of eyes resting on him.  
Behind him, Tigerstar’s thick scent wafted over the sharp, dead grass and stifled Bramblepaw’s nose. “Your precious Starclan likes to call this place the Place of No Stars, an eternal torment designed for cats specifically like me. What they don’t know is that stars have no power, it doesn’t take long to learn how to use the powers of the Starclan cats. It’s difficult, for certain.” Bramblepaw shivered, his paws frozen to the frigid ground as he felt the heat get sapped from his body. “I’m making a lot more friends than I thought I would here too, time feels off here. A very different place, indeed,” Tigerstar’s voice continued with the hint of amusement and a chuckle. “What’s got you so scared, little one?” Bramblepaw felt the warm breath on his ear, his amber eyes widening… He could envision Tigerstar’s huge body looming over him, eyes red with the bloodlust that showed his enjoyment of murder. “Cat got your tongue? Better speak up now, or forever hold your peace.”  
Lengthy claws curled around Bramblepaw’s shoulders as he gulped, the apprentice feeling every bit of fear he had when Tigerstar was alive. W-Why can’t I move? Bramblepaw thought as he tried to force his body to run. Bramblepaw didn’t have power in this place, it was haunted, it held nothing that could help him. My paws are stuck! Bramblepaw unsheathed his claws, closing his eyes and forcing himself to take deep breaths.  
Forget him.  
Forget him…  
Just forget him! He’s nothing!  
“You can think that all you want, but I’ll return someday, and when that day comes… I want you by my side, and you will be by my side, Bramblepaw. I’ll be the one to give you your warrior name, and I’ll be a proud father when you take that first kill, right in those claws of yours…”  
“No!” Bramblepaw whirled around, eyes opening before he blinked, his body trembling as aches soared through his muscles. The world was back in color and he was panting heavily, his paws trembling and barely holding the poor apprentice up, but he refused to fall at the moment, his head turning rapidly as he kept his head lowered, recognizing the trees of the waking world and his ears pinning back now. A low growl emanated from his throat.  
The touch of a tail lightly pressed against his back and the tom almost cried out again, his body trembling and his ears hurting from how pressed down they were.  
“Bramblepaw! Relax, hey, it’s just me…”  
Cinderpelt’s soft blue gaze landed on Bramblepaw’s amber, the tom shivering and slowly relaxing as he recognized Cinderpelt’s soft touch and gray fur. The she-cat gently sat beside him, her tail rubbing his back in a rhythmic motion that only soothed the apprentice more, who quickly just laid down, unable to stand back up.  
“You haven’t gotten much sleep lately…” Cinderpelt frowned, continuing to rub his back and speaking in a low voice. “I’m sure the night before the battle was hard enough, but what about last night? Did you get any sleep at all?”  
Bramblepaw wanted to tell the truth, that he went to the Moonstone, but he slowly shook his head… He didn’t want to tell Cinderpelt what he had learned just yet, and to describe the visions of Tigerstar he had been seeing… The visions were haunting enough, he told himself it was nothing more than just another anxiety that he needed to get over. Tigerstar was dead, he could not affect the living world just as much as Bramblepaw couldn’t affect the spirit world. Besides… why would such an evil cat be allowed to continue in any spirit form? That didn’t make sense to Bramblepaw.  
“N-No…” Bramblepaw stammered, his ears flicking momentarily as he lowered his head onto his paws, the gentle soothing motion along his back felt almost necessary, and he remembered being a kit with Goldenflower huddled over him and Tawnypaw… Both just kits, but she protected them from any and all scorn that surfaced from the clan as best she could.  
She watches over me, Bramblepaw reminded himself.  
“Why don’t you try and get some sleep…? I would help but I don’t think poppy seeds grow around here, but I will be right beside you as you try to sleep… You’re probably sleep deprived, every cat needs a good rest every now and again, and it isn’t healthy to stay up for long periods of time.” Cinderpelt placed her paw on Bramblepaw’s flank this time, rubbing it softly. “I’ll even clean your fur, if you like…” The voice was soft, unlike Cinderpelt’s earlier threats towards Graystripe for being a mouse-brain about his own injuries.  
Bramblepaw didn’t respond to the medicine cat, just closing his eyes and enjoying the soft motions on his pelt.  
Eventually he felt her tongue start cleaning his thick fur, picking out any ticks or whatnot he may have picked up, and starting to smooth out his coat. The touch was warm enough that Bramblepaw felt safe enough here to just relax.  
It wasn’t long until the darkness took over again, and Bramblepaw slept in the pitch-black waves of dreams…

***

Bramblepaw was eventually awoken to the sound of several paw steps, his ears perking as he groaned and forced his eyes to open. Like earlier that day, he had awoken and was still feeling rather heavy and tired. This time, he had a bit more energy in his paws and he grunted, pushing himself up and glancing around. Several cats had already begun to gather in the clearing by Highstones, their ears perked as whispers were developing amongst the cats.  
“Where will we go now…?”  
“Surely no other territory will suit us?”  
“How could we lose everything…?”  
The voices were quiet, but Bramblepaw met the gazes of mostly Thunderclan and Windclan cats currently. Their scents were filling the larger clearing, many standing on the rockier surface rather than the soft grass. Many were sticking in smaller groups of three to five cats, talking amongst themselves and some not talking at all. And almost just as many were cut, bruised, and injured. Bramblepaw could see both Barkface and Cinderpelt working to make sure every cat in the gathering was okay, and Bramblepaw slowly looked up to the top of Highstones, seeing Firestar’s ginger pelt watching over the clans.  
Beside the ginger leader was Tallstar, the tom wasn’t as battered as his clanmates were from this distance, though anyone could pose that he was healed after losing a life, like Firestar… Both leaders were whispering to each other quietly, probably talking about Firestar’s visit with Starclan or something similar.  
Instead of focusing on them, Bramblepaw chose to put his focus elsewhere, at the very least helping his clanmates understand what was going on. He stood up on all four paws, letting out a tired but small and quiet yawn, then slipped by the Windclan cats, keeping a short distance away. Some would glance at him, and most who did gave a soft smile. They knew who Bramblepaw was, and they knew he had no ill-will towards them. There weren’t many cats in the clearing… Less than what Bramblepaw would hope for.  
Though his hopes were more inclined towards everyone living, it wasn’t a reality he was in.  
Slipping past the Windclan warriors and finding himself amongst the small group of Thunderclan cats, Bramblepaw glanced around for any sign of Tawnypaw, though he didn’t see her much anywhere. Instead, he was greeted to Brightheart, the one-eyed she-cat who gave the young tom a bright smile.  
“Hey, Bramblepaw… I guess your mission was a success, huh?” the she-cat purred very softly, although it was half-hearted. “Hopefully Riverclan gets here soon…”  
Bramblepaw gave a nod, tail raised a bit more as he glanced around, getting a hint of Shadowclan scent. “Are there Shadowclan cats here?” he meowed curiously, eyes continuing to shift through the clearing around them.  
“Oh, yes! They will be here shortly, some went to Riverclan to try and convince their kin and friends to join… Hopefully Leopardstar will come with us, the four clans do need to stick together, after all.”  
“Yeah, hopefully…”  
“I hope your talks with Riverclan went well?”  
Bramblepaw shook his head. “Honestly? I’m lucky to even be alive, Leopardstar wasn’t exactly pleased with the outcome… Though no one is,” Bramblepaw quickly added as he glanced away. “Leopardstar… I don’t think she was that much of a fan of Tigerstar’s, but I also think she fell prey to his ideals and couldn’t defend against them… And now she’s angry, and she almost let her warriors rip me apart. They were more than ready to do so.”  
“That’s horrible!” Brightheart meowed in surprise, her eye widened as her ear flicked. Her other ear didn’t move too much, still rather scarred and tense from the drastically damaging wound to her face.  
“I made it out alive, which was enough to get to Windclan and speak with them,” Bramblepaw pointed out as he heard rustling in the bushes nearby.   
Turning away from Brightheart, he noticed several cats come out with Shadowclan scent coming over the clearing now. Most of the Shadowclan cats had their heads hung low, and many looked as if they hadn’t eaten in days. They were thin, ghastly, even. Just pelts of their former selves, and only a few looked strong enough to even walk a great distance. Bramblepaw’s gaze turned to one of them, Blackfoot, Shadowclan’s deputy. He didn’t go to the Moonstone to receive his nine lives the night before, Bramblepaw was certain of that.  
Some of the Shadowclan cats had their heads hung in shame, but their force was quite small in comparison to even Windclan and Thunderclan. They probably took the attacks the worst of the four clans, since Bloodclan probably drove them out of the territory so they could spend the time they wanted there. It would make sense for their small force of clan cats, and Bramblepaw watched as Blackfoot stopped the clan and glanced back to everyone.  
“Alright… Every warrior who can do so, the strongest will make a quick hunt and get food for our weakest members.” Blackfoot’s meow was deep and authoritative, but his words said different. “Our clan needs to get back up to full strength, especially if we have a longer journey ahead of us. Littlecloud!” Blackfoot turned to another much smaller warrior. “You’re the only one of us capable with medicine… Take the time to get some training from the Thunderclan and Windclan medicine cats, we will need you to be fully ready in the future to help our clan recover from this disaster.”  
Blackfoot’s gaze glanced towards Windclan and Thunderclan, then turned back to his own clan again.  
“As much as I hate to say it, we need everyone to work together. We are no longer as separate as we should be, but we are four clans coming together to solve an issue that involves all of us. Please take the time to learn about those we travel with, and rest for as long as possible. When sun-high reaches us, the clans will need to move further away, we can’t take any chances with Bloodclan.”  
The white tom with the jet-black paw seemed to really care about his clan… and Bramblepaw let out a sigh of relief. The idea of having another horrid leader for Shadowclan would have put his mind racing again, wondering just if Shadowclan had a future at all.  
Blackfoot gave one last look to his clan, who had begun to deviate away into even tinier groupings than Thunderclan and Windclan, before darting up to the top of Highstones. Both Firestar and Tallstar greeted the Shadowclan deputy with nods of their head, though Bramblepaw couldn’t help but wonder whether they were doing it only out of respect or if they trusted Blackfoot to lead the clan well. The clan still seemed to trust him, even after the wreckage Tigerstar left behind, but as long as they were happy with their current leader… Bramblepaw had no right to complain.  
Paw steps lightly thudded on the surface of the mixed rock and grass and soil, Bramblepaw turning around to see Tawnypaw walking up to him. Her pelt was somewhat cleaner, and she gave her littermate a small smile.  
“It seems my clan is alright…” Tawnypaw mewed softly. “As alright as they can be, anyways.”  
Bramblepaw blinked and his lip curled downwards. “Oh… You’re going back to Shadowclan?”  
Tawnypaw gave the dark tabby a nod, her eyes landing on his as she kept sturdy on her paws. “I wasn’t happy in Thunderclan, but even in Shadowclan, I have reasons to be happy. These cats trust me when many in Thunderclan didn’t… And I’m sure they still don’t trust you fully either,” Tawnypaw claimed as she shuffled lightly on her paws. Bramblepaw’s tail flicked at the comment. “Thunderclan hurt me and they hurt you, and I want to extend my paw to you, one littermate to another. You can join me in Shadowclan, Bramblepaw, we need strong members who can make up the forces of our warriors.”  
“You know my loyalty is to Thunderclan…” Bramblepaw sighed. “Besides, I look too much like Tigerstar to be in Shadowclan, I wouldn’t be trusted there either. And I have worked hard for my trust in Thunderclan.”  
Brightheart listened to the two somberly, her ears lowering as her one-eyed gaze dropped.  
“I have to work to get away from Tigerstar’s legacy, not become a part of it by running away…” Bramblepaw continued, his amber gaze shifting away from Tawnypaw. “The world isn’t what it used to be anyways, who knows if the clans will ever be the same again? So many passed, so many more injured, recovering will take moons of work. It seems the same will be true for Shadowclan. Windclan and – if they join us – Riverclan will need to recover too.”  
The look on Tawnypaw’s face was that of slight bewilderment, surprise that Bramblepaw would once again refuse to join her… Even if Tigerstar pushed him to join her before.  
“I… I understand,” Tawnypaw shook her head with her whiskers twitching. “I guess we just weren’t meant to be in the same clan… But that’s okay, we have this time now to catch up, I’m sure a lot happened while I was away from Thunderclan, not including yesterday’s battle. And there is a lot I could say about Shadowclan… and Riverclan too. I don’t think either side would worry about me telling what horrible things Tigerstar did to Riverclan while they were under his claws.”  
“What do you mean?” Bramblepaw lowered his voice, his littermate doing the same.  
Tawnypaw’s gaze lowered as well. “As much as I hate to say it, Tigerstar wasn’t great with most of the cats in Shadowclan and in Riverclan. Both clans hunted for each other, but those closest to Tigerstar – Blackfoot included – were fed way more than the rest of the warriors. Blackfoot was kind enough to spread his share of his fresh-kill around, but the penalty for being caught sharing food caught solely for one purpose, it was severe.” Tawnypaw shivered. “But I felt more welcome with Shadowclan, so I accepted that as the reality of the clan. I didn’t know until afterwards that the clan was so similar to Thunderclan. Each of the clans might do smaller and different things, but inside the walls, they are all the same. Warriors with lives, each getting hurt and sometimes getting their own important positions. Talking about how great their lives were…” The apprentice looked back up to Bramblepaw. “They were just like Thunderclan, but they treated me far more equally than anyone else and still do, even after Tigerstar passed. They were happy I came back…”  
“And you can’t say the same for Thunderclan,” Bramblepaw finished, giving her a nod. He completely understood her reasoning, she left Thunderclan to get away from the hate that had formed around the two about their father. Goldenflower tried her best to shelter them but was unsuccessful, and Tawnypaw ran away to escape the fate of being looked at like her father for his evil actions, instead of her successes. If she tried to make a full return to Thunderclan, some warriors may be weary of her, knowing her for not only being offspring to Tigerstar, but having been a runaway as well.  
Her own actions helped, but Thunderclan didn’t help her much either. It was a set of claws to each other’s throats, and Tawnypaw pulled away before more damage could be done.  
“I can’t say I condone what you did, but I understand,” Bramblepaw admitted. “I thought about it too, even as Tigerstar tried to invite me to join the family… But Thunderclan is my family now, and they are here to help and protect me, just as much as I’ll be there to help and protect them. They are warriors and when I become a warrior, I will lay down my life as necessary in order to protect them.”  
Tawnypaw gave Bramblepaw a bit brighter of a smile. “And I will do the same for my clan… May we never have to meet on a battlefield, Bramblepaw. I trust you’ll be a great warrior for Thunderclan.”  
“As much as I trust you’ll be a great warrior for Shadowclan,” Bramblepaw meowed back with his own smile.  
Even in the darkest times, the sun shining down on the two littermates would be light enough to keep Bramblepaw awake.  
Maybe this won’t be so bad, Bramblepaw thought as he glanced back up to the current three leaders sitting atop Mothermouth. In the time they had spoken, a fourth, spotted she-cat had joined them. Several warriors began appearing in the clearing, more of Shadowclan and some of Riverclan as well.  
We can do this, we can move on to another territory.  
There was a loud howl, Bramblepaw’s gaze darting up and realizing that the spotted she-cat was standing now. White teeth reflected the sunlight, and every cat was looking up towards the four leaders now.  
“I will not submit to this plan unless Tigerstar’s offspring are killed! I will not take no for an answer!”


	9. 7: Accusations

Several Riverclan cats had stood up, some of them already glaring Bramblepaw and his littermate down as they unsheathed their claws. Fear was in their eyes, but so much hatred lies just behind the glowing pairs of eyes that quickly turned the way of the two apprentices. Both Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw immediately assumed a defensive stance, their tails touching briefly as they lowered their heads, Bramblepaw’s eyes slightly widened as he watched the several cats get prepared to pounce on the two of them.  
Hisses and spits were based towards them, and Leopardstar’s eyes blazed with a pure fury unlike any that Bramblepaw had seen. No other cat made a move just yet, most stunned by the sudden proposition that Leopardstar would refuse to leave on the notion that Tigerstar’s kin was travelling with them. Bramblepaw planted his claws into the dirt, he didn’t want to hurt any of these warriors…  
“Leopardstar!” Blackfoot spoke up first, standing tall and growling towards the Riverclan leader. “What is the meaning of this? Those two have done nothing wrong to your clan, if you really have a problem then settle it with Tigerstar when you’re dead!” Blackfoot quickly stood on four paws, facing the Riverclan leader with a raised head and thrashing tail. The Riverclan leader lowered her head and did the same, as if preparing to fight the Shadowclan leader physically.  
No one made a move just yet, many waiting for the order to be given by the Riverclan leader to attack the two apprentices, who made no movement and kept close to each other. There was a moment where some of the Thunderclan warriors stood up, slowly shifting closer to Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw as Riverclan’s warriors remained quiet now.  
“Those two are nothing more than the spawn of evil,” Leopardstar claimed with a loud hiss. “Tigerstar was an evil cat, manipulative, what is to say his kin aren’t the same?” The Riverclan leader flexed her claws towards Blackfoot, scraping the rock beneath her. “Those two are a bigger danger to this journey we are taking than to Tigerstar himself, how do we know they aren’t in league with the cat, even in death?” Leopardstar shook her head. “That is not a risk I am willing to take for my clan, they didn’t deserve the way we were treated by Tigerstar, and we won’t have another Tigerstar roaming around this new place we find.”  
Firestar stood up now, his eyes narrowed as he pushed past Blackfoot and stood in front of the Shadowclan leader, his brazen orange fur glowing in the direct sunlight. “Stand down, Leopardstar, or I won’t hesitate to leave your clan behind.” His voice had become harsh and frigid, as if leaf-bare had come early and the tom was only prolonging the white snows. His gaze was just as cold, an intenseness behind it that Bramblepaw couldn’t quite figure out. The Thunderclan leader continued. “Bramblepaw is my apprentice and my responsibility, I know him better than you or Tigerstar or most warriors ever did and ever could. Bramblepaw is not his father, as much as he looks like him. And the same goes for Tawnypaw. They are both their own warriors with their own skills and their own lives, they are not Tigerstar’s to just command and they would never submit to such.”  
Tawnypaw did… Bramblepaw thought bitterly for a moment but quickly shook the thought away, knowing the situation was a bit more complex than he gave it credit for.  
Firestar stood tall towards the Riverclan leader, whiskers twitching while his lips curled down. “And if you blame Bramblepaw or Tawnypaw for the shortcomings of Tigerstar, then you’re no better than the warrior himself. What Blackfoot says is correct, you should wait until you’re dead and in Starclan to get your paws on him. Hurting those apprentices won’t make you feel better and neither will arguing. Stand down… Or I won’t hesitate to kill you right here, right now.”  
Almost all the clans went quiet, their gazes locked on Firestar in wonder and confusion. Even the Riverclan warriors stopped their advance on Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw, both of which slowly had several Shadowclan and Thunderclan warriors gathering behind them. Even a few of the Windclan warriors were just a couple fox-lengths off to the side, ready to pounce on any unsuspecting Riverclan warrior who dared to break the fragile trust the clans had in one another. Even Bramblepaw felt an eerie silence reach his ears, and he watched the Thunderclan leader with just as much surprise… Firestar never threatened to just kill anyone outright, the Thunderclan leader was usually more composed, and far more forgiving than any warrior Bramblepaw had known or heard about.  
What is happening to you, Firestar…? Bramblepaw questioned as the quietness was slowly broken by Leopardstar.  
“Don’t you dare let them get near any of my warriors,” Leopardstar spat as she slowly backed off. “You may have everyone else here fooled, Firestar, but you’re no better than Tigerstar. I bet all you want is power, you want to kill me. Go on then, sic your apprentice on me and let him try.”  
“You know full well that I am not one to go for power,” Firestar replied calmly, one ear rapidly flicking. Almost unnoticeable. “I am protecting my clan, just as much as you want to protect yours. If your warriors decide to talk to him, then I have no problem with them talking. However… if one warrior steps out of line, Leopardstar, I will make sure you and the troublemakers that try to fight him get left behind and exiled from the clans. Do I make myself clear?”  
Both Tallstar and Blackfoot watched Firestar cautiously, neither having ever heard him so calm and yet so captivating at the same time. The darkness emanating from the leader was new, Bramblepaw could feel it from where he was. Like how Firestar knew him, Bramblepaw knew Firestar, and he was surprised by the dark presence residing inside the clan leader.  
And even Leopardstar could feel it, the Riverclan leader backing away from the other three, easily outnumbered in her fight against Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Firestar, for your sake as well as the clans.”  
The spotted leader backed away a bit further, quietly sitting several tail-lengths away from Tallstar, Blackfoot, and Firestar. The ginger tom kept his gaze on Leopardstar for several heartbeats, but turned to face the clans below in the Highstones clearing. “Everyone!” he called, the tension slowly dissipating between the clans and the warriors as everyone eventually moved away from Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw, sitting back in their original spots. Some stuck close to the apprentices… “I do not need to repeat the events that happened yesterday, everything went horribly wrong within the clans. Not just Thunderclan, but Windclan, Riverclan, and Shadowclan were all victims of Tigerstar’s lust for power.” The Thunderclan leader stood tall, not giving his usual smile or even a decently positive complexion. “It is understandable, the warrior was admirable in many ways. Tigerstar was powerful, not just as a leader, but from the days he was just a kit, anyone could tell he would be strong. As I was told and as I have witnessed myself, that power and strength would lead Tigerstar down a dark path, one that brings us here today.”  
Some of the warriors were absolutely engaged in Firestar’s speech, letting the leader speak without interruption. Bramblepaw didn’t know if he wanted to hear what Firestar had to say about his own father, but the apprentice remained silent on the matter and listened intently himself.  
“Before I met Tigerstar, before I met with the clans… Tigerstar murdered Bluestar’s deputy – Redtail – in cold blood. At first, the blame was pinned on Riverclan due to the area the murder happened and the way the crime was committed,” Firestar continued. “No one could have guessed it was Tigerstar, until a witness came to me about the problem. Tigerstar’s apprentice, Ravenpaw, gave me the information. Without any proof, all I could do was help Ravenpaw escape the clans to live on his own. It was believed by most that Ravenpaw had died the day he disappeared, and it was enough to keep everyone quiet about the situation until more information could be gathered.” Firestar shook his head and sighed. “But that wasn’t the case, Tigerstar was only caught far later with Darkstripe and Brokenstar, both of which were allies of his. After Brokenstar died, it was only a matter of time before Tigerstar made his next move. While I have no idea how he came to be Shadowclan’s leader, he did, and I won’t push to ask how such a horrible thing happened.”  
Blackfoot glanced away as Firestar spoke of Tigerstar’s leadership over Shadowclan. Most of the Shadowclan cats also glanced away, it seemed they were afraid of Tigerstar, but those in his inner circle didn’t even like him either… Bramblepaw couldn’t begin to guess how such an evil warrior could have gone so far as to take leadership of another clan. Getting away with it was also a whole other matter that Bramblepaw couldn’t fathom, but somehow, until his death, Tigerstar got away with it all.  
“I tried to warn you last moon of Tigerstar’s evils, of the things I had seen him do and all we had known him to do. Murder, lies, treachery. He was no clan cat, and it bothers me to say that Thunderclan let him rise as far as he did.” Firestar paused now, letting the words sink in to every cat in the clans, the clearing was quiet besides a small wind. “We stand here today because one cat decided to bring together the rogues of Twolegplace, and use them to try and get Tallstar and I to submit to his power. We didn’t, and when I watched him die, I even felt sorry. Some of you may not, but even on my worst enemy, I would never want them to lose all their lives in such a brutal way. Many might be inclined to agree, nevertheless, what is done is done. I came to the Moonstone in the night between the loss against Bloodclan and now, and I spoke with Starclan about our next steps.” Firestar brought his gazes to the leaders beside him, each giving a nod besides Leopardstar, who was lightly scowling but keeping her gaze away from Firestar. “We are to travel across the valleys and past the mountains, past Highstones. When we are on the other side, there will be a lake meant for the clans, though we do not know of any danger it may possess, nor the danger this journey possesses. It will take the clans a few days to move there, I’m sure, with all the injuries we have sustained, so please wait and relax and be patient until we get there.”  
Tallstar stood up, standing beside Firestar with a light limp, giving the Thunderclan leader a nod before letting him back up, Tallstar speaking front and center now. “You will have a short time to rest, hunt, and then get prepared to leave. We leaders want to be by the mountains by sun-high tomorrow, so this break will not last long. I would like the medicine cats to work together to make sure we have the herbs necessary for the weaker warriors to travel, the stronger warriors will form small groups and do any hunting they can. This meeting is adjourned, and may Starclan light all our paths.”  
All four leaders backed away, starting to convene amongst themselves, though Bramblepaw could see that Leopardstar was still keeping her distance from the other leaders.  
A sigh of relief left Bramblepaw as he sat back down, feeling his adrenaline slip away from being active in his body and his eyes growing heavy again. The short nap he had taken was barely enough to keep him awake, and he didn’t know whether to take this time to get more sleep in or to help his clanmates. The sun beat down on his pelt, warm and steady against his fur, which felt cleaner than he remembered falling asleep earlier with.  
“That was… close…” Tawnypaw whispered with her body shivering momentarily. “Leopardstar was ready to use her warriors against us, they really don’t like us…”  
“Obviously,” Bramblepaw mewed quietly with a sigh in return, tail flicking across the light dust and soil and grass. “Riverclan wants someone to blame for the crimes Tigerstar committed, they want revenge. It seems they are pointing the revenge at us…”  
“You in particular,” Tawnypaw added with an irritated twitch of her whisker. “You look enough like Tigerstar that you are a good substitute for his crimes, whether you committed the crimes or not, I don’t think matters to Leopardstar.”  
Before Bramblepaw could respond, the quick scent of Riverclan coming closer made his ears perk and he glanced over to the Riverclan cats. Almost immediately, Brightheart and Longtail were standing near the two apprentices, gazes narrowed and their eyes trained on a darker gray she-cat darker blue eyes. Her stance was tall and she walked with purpose, but her claws were sheathed and her ears didn’t pin back. She wasn’t afraid of any of them.  
“Sorry about my clanmates,” the she-cat bowed her head towards Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw as she got close. Her head tilted very lightly and her tail remained lower too. “The name is Mistyfoot, and I apologize on their behalf. I am the littermate to the previous Riverclan deputy, Stonefur, and I am currently the deputy of my clan. With all due respect, I do not blame you for the crimes Tigerstar has committed and am – in fact – grateful that the other leaders were able to convince Leopardstar to stand down. I wasn’t able to before we got here, so I am glad to see the others knock some sense into her.” The warrior raised her head and gave both apprentices a smile, Longtail and Brightheart watching the warrior closely before backing off from her. “I hope we can get along, I don’t intend any harm in talking to you. Though my clanmates won’t be happy for it, I don’t believe cats like you are out there to cause harm.”  
Bramblepaw didn’t know what to say, but out of politeness, he bowed his head to Riverclan’s new deputy and then gave her a small smile back. “Well it is good to know not every Riverclan warrior hates us,” he meowed as he tilted his head again, though only a fraction of a short distance. “I heard about Stonefur before all this… Sorry that it happened like it did.”  
“Don’t be, Tigerstar is gone and it was his fault that we had these problems in the first place. Thunderclan might have birthed him, but I believe he was born to be an insane warrior. On a mental scale, of course,” Mistyfoot corrected before glancing back to her clan. “I’m sure we can talk more later, once the clans have gotten used to travelling together and the tension between everyone stops being as bad as it is right now.”  
“Then do give my regards to Riverclan, and let us hope we can find our new homes as great or better than the forest we leave behind,” Bramblepaw responded as he backed away and glanced towards his sister.  
The tortoiseshell she-cat glanced back up to Bramblepaw, giving his ear a soft lick of affection before turning back to the Shadowclan cats. “Be careful, Bramblepaw… I’m counting on you to help your clan, just as much as I will try and help mine.”  
Bramblepaw dipped his head to his sister, then turned back to Brightheart with a blink of happiness towards the one-eyed Thunderclan warrior. Brightheart blinked back, her whiskers twitching with slight amusement. The warrior hadn’t been maimed like she was now for very long, the dog attack that Tigerstar had wrought on Thunderclan had practically destroyed almost any chance of becoming a warrior. The she-cat had trained so hard with Cloudtail to become a better warrior, despite her injuries.  
“I hope you aren’t in too much pain?” Bramblepaw queried as he sat down by the Thunderclan warrior.  
Brightheart quickly shook her head. “No… I just miss Cloudtail, but I know sitting around and being upset about it won’t help the clans. I will have time to grieve later, so let us get ready. I can hunt for you, if you like, Bramblepaw…?” Brightheart asked. “Of course, I can do so, you’re just looking barely functioning on those paws of yours. You should take the time to get some sleep,” she added quickly, as if not wanting to give the young apprentice much more to do in the state he was in.  
Though Bramblepaw only shook his head. “I’m… not exactly hungry,” he replied, realizing with a pang in his stomach that it was only semi-true. Leopardstar trying to get him and his sister killed was enough to make Bramblepaw’s stomach churn. If there were cats out there who believed he could become like Tigerstar, they were wrong. Bramblepaw’s loyalties lie in Starclan, and the clans as a whole.  
“Suit yourself,” Brightheart replied before standing and stretching her front paws outwards. She had a torn claw, but her other claws were shining brightly and her pelt was recently groomed. Bramblepaw could only smile at seeing Brightheart’s personality returning, even if recent events seemed to be entirely against the clans as a whole. “Maybe when Firestar comes back down, you should talk to him. I bet he is worried about you after Leopardstar’s accusations. Though he put her in her own place. Thunderclan’s affairs on what we do with our apprentices is our own…”  
You’re right on that, Bramblepaw quietly agreed as he glanced back up to the four leaders, taking note that each one was discussing fairly quietly amongst themselves a plan for the future. They already knew to go past the mountains, to a lake, but Bramblepaw had no idea how far that would be.  
A couple days travel, at least, Bramblepaw thought wearily, his paws already stinging from the idea of crossing the mountains and the rocky surfaces. But we have no choice, and I have to protect the clans. Not only from themselves, but from something else.   
With that in mind, Bramblepaw slipped into the barns and forests that remained nearby and began his hunt, finding it rather easy to find mice. Quickly catching several mice, Bramblepaw bit down on their tails and let the little corpses dangle in his jaws as he glanced around, wondering where Ravenpaw was. This was his barn, and the black tom's scent was stale here. Bramblepaw didn’t remember if Ravenpaw had become a part of the battle or not, though Bramblepaw couldn’t remember every warrior that came along. It all happened so quickly…  
Shaking his head, Bramblepaw returned to his clanmates, some of which who were still too weak to really help themselves, and began passing around the mice had had caught to various clanmates. Stopping by Cinderpelt first, the apprentice lay down the first mouse and gave the medicine cat a soft purr.  
“I thought you could use this… Every cat needs to eat up, especially the medicine cat who takes care of all of us,” Bramblepaw added with the light flick of his right ear.  
Cinderpelt gave the dark tabby a nod. “This is very kind of you, Bramblepaw. Thank you. Why don’t you take another mouse to Graystripe? The poor tom needs to eat and with his paw like it is, he won’t be hunting for a while.”  
Bramblepaw gave a nod of agreement, lifting the mouse and quickly turning away and heading straight for the gray warrior, ears perked as he lay a mouse in front of Graystripe.  
“Cinderpelt thought you needed to eat,” Bramblepaw mewed with the slow sway of his fluffy dark tail.  
Graystripe glanced towards the mouse and tucked his good paw under his belly, giving Bramblepaw a blink of gratitude and the twitch of his whiskers. “You were always a terrific hunter, though I’m sure Ravenpaw’s barn is still easy to catch from. Speaking of which… Have you seen Ravenpaw?” Graystripe asked as he leaned down and took a bite from the mouse.  
As soon as Graystripe began eating, Bramblepaw lay down next to the large gray tom, and bit into his own mouse now too. It was juicy… And with the sun and light breeze, it was tastier than the mice in the forest. Fatter.  
“No, I haven’t seen Ravenpaw,” Bramblepaw admitted. “Do you think he will come along now that Bloodclan have control of the forest?”  
“I’m not sure…” Graystripe replied with his gaze low. “If Bloodclan finds the barns, Barley and Ravenpaw won’t last long-.”  
“Don’t mind me.”  
The higher pitched voice came from behind them, and Bramblepaw looked up along with Graystripe. Their eyes met the sunlit gaze of Ravenpaw’s black lithe figure. The loner gave both of them a flick of their ears with his tail, and he moved around the apprentice and the warrior, sitting down in front of them with his tail curled around his front paws.  
“Hi, Graystripe. Greetings, Bramblepaw.” The loner had traces of scratches along his pelt, his ears pricked as if listening for something beyond the clan cats. “I hope you don’t mind but it seems you are right, Graystripe. Bloodclan will have a word with us if Barley and I stick around…” Ravenpaw didn’t even shiver, and Bramblepaw remembered hearing from Firestar that Ravenpaw – when he was younger – was almost always a terrified apprentice. The loner barely seemed to resemble such a story, if at all. “So I can’t stick around the barn, as much as getting fat off mice is very appealing, risking my life and Barley’s life isn’t worth it.”  
The black tom flicked the white tip of his tail in slight annoyance.  
“I heard what happened, Bloodclan joined the fray and destroyed what little of the clans there was. Windclan passed it along as a message to Barley and I, as thanks for giving them shelter so many moons ago.” Ravenpaw shook his head with slight irritation prickling into his movements, an itch on his shoulder causing his claws to unsheathe briefly. “Tigerstar ruined everything…”  
Then Ravenpaw’s eyes caught Bramblepaw’s, who quickly glanced down at his half-eaten mouse and was feeling even more queasy at the very thought of his father again. A shadow slipped over the mouse and Bramblepaw glanced up, his amber gaze locking onto the yellow eyes of the loner.  
“Sorry, Bramblepaw…”  
“It doesn’t bother me, not that he was my father, anyways…” Bramblepaw replied, though he wasn’t sure how true his words were to him. Tigerstar was dead, and Bramblepaw’s nightmares were just that. Nightmares. There wasn’t a possible way that Tigerstar could come back.  
But Ravenpaw didn’t seem deterred by Bramblepaw’s words, and he gave the tom a soft and comforting lick over the ear. “Whatever it is, you have an entire clan behind you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must speak with Firestar, as I will need to be fully accepted back into the clan to resume clan duties.” Without being able to respond, Bramblepaw watched the small black cat slip away into the crowds of warriors, his black pelt disappearing amidst shadows. Bramblepaw turned to Graystripe again, the gray tom watching Ravenpaw walk away.  
Without another word, Bramblepaw dipped his head back down, and did his best to finish his meal.


	10. 8: Beyond

Bramblepaw dipped forward, feeling the gentle breeze of a new leaf-bare wind piercing through his fur as the cats of all clans gathered around the mouth of Highstones. The four leaders stood atop the rocky overhang, their ears perked and their gazes resting on the clans now. Their deliberation was done, they would have a plan for the clans and it would lead them away from this monstrous place that was the old forest. They would be taken someplace anew, someplace that would be worth not only their time, but would hopefully be able to contain the four clans in their current state.  
Firestar stepped forward, his fiery orange fur glowing in the sunlight as he narrowed his gaze and his lip twitched into a barely recognizable frown. “The clan leaders have agreed to fully work together. Until we reach this new land, we four – along with our deputies – will keep our clans safe. We have no idea where we are going, I won’t lie. But our goal is to get away from here and find a place from a dream I shared with Starclan last night.”  
The fiery tom’s fur stood very lightly, and only for the briefest heartbeat, as he spoke of Starclan.  
“While I was here, at the Moonstone, and sharing dreams… The cats of Starclan told me where we must go,” Firestar continued. “A lake beyond the mountains, and surrounding it are several large and viable territories for the four clans. That is what had been promised to me…” The leader glanced back to the three cats behind him, none of them bothering to speak, so he turned his gaze back down to the clans. “Starclan is scared, I believe that whole-heartedly.” The fur on his neck bristled again. “Unlike how we are all taught to believe, I think Starclan isn’t as powerful as we make them out to be…”  
Almost immediately there was a chorus of cats standing, yowling their profanities at the Thunderclan leader for daring to defy the idea of Starclan. Yet, none of the leaders even stood up to deny the idea either.  
When the cries died down, Bramblepaw pricked his ears, listening intently to what Firestar had to say about the matter.  
“What I mean when I say that is Starclan isn’t going to teach us to fight, and they aren’t going to fight for us,” Firestar responded to the indignant cries of hatred and kittypet insults. “Starclan guides us, but they don’t hold our tails and they certainly don’t have control over the clans. Our ancestors are very real and they live in Silverpelt, they watch over us every night, but they are very deliberate. Without the Moonstone, their signs will come far less often, any warnings we get while we are in unknown skies will be lucky for us at best. We must work on our own, as the clans, and not under the guidance of Silverpelt and Starclan until we finally reach the new territory.”  
His voice had taken a darker turn, but it wasn’t sinister. Bramblepaw found that while Firestar fully believed in Starclan, he wondered if his faith in what they could do was shaken. He glanced to the she-cat beside himself, Brightheart, who was frowning very lightly. Her one-eyed gaze watched her leader carefully, and Bramblepaw wondered if she was having similar thoughts.  
Firestar wasn’t a normal leader. Born a kittypet, the tom had to prove himself time and time again, similar to Bramblepaw having to prove time and time again that he wasn’t Tigerstar’s son. He felt he would still have to continuously keep proving himself, but the apprentice couldn’t help but feel pity for the Thunderclan leader. All the rumors of the prophecy Bluestar once spoke of had been true, to an extent. Fire would save the clan, but at what cost did he save them?  
Finding a new home didn’t feel like being saved. Tigerstar should’ve lost, the four clans should’ve had the forest to themselves for countless seasons to come. But they wouldn’t. The clans would leave, and Bloodclan would rule over the entire forest now.  
“But we must continue to have faith that not only will our ancestors find us,” Firestar continued speaking. “We must also have faith that they will continue to guide us when we reach the promised lake territory. Our ancestors are still just like us, they will make mistakes, and they probably have long before I was kitted. Long before even the eldest elder was kitted.” Firestar raised his head, looking up to the sky now. Each cat found themselves doing the same, even the leaders and Bramblepaw, all looking at the somewhat clouding sky as the gray woolen shapes moved across from one horizon to the next. “Starclan awaits us in this new territory, and if we can’t believe in that, then we have lost our way.”  
None of the cats spoke now, until one of the other leaders padded up to stand beside Firestar. It was Tallstar, his scraped and bruised and torn fur coat making him look a bit misshapen and more elderly than he was.  
“We start this journey now… For those who have any questions, speak now or hold your peace until we make it to this supposed lake.” Tallstar’s tail raised, waiting for any cat to dare speak up.  
Silence hung in the clearing, only the hushed whispers spreading from cat to cat, elder to warrior to queen to apprentice to kit. It wasn’t long until the whispers stopped, and Bramblepaw stood up, his tail held high as well as his head.  
“We are ready,” Bramblepaw called out above the clearing, his amber gaze clear and his mind less fogged by the lack of sleep the previous night. He felt clean, his fur felt smooth and his paws had energy. He could make the several days long journey to this new lake.  
Each leader glanced down at him, Leopardstar hissing momentarily before being hushed by a harsh stare from Blackfoot.  
“Then let us go. Deputies, please go to the back of the clans, and make sure no one falls behind,” Tallstar ordered.  
The clan cats stood up, their scents already mingling together as their pelts brushed one another. They weren’t a big group, barely the size for a gathering, but they were alive and they had a chance to make the clans great once again. Bramblepaw had to believe the four clans would be restored to their former strengths in this new territory, wherever they were heading.  
“Stronger warriors and apprentices, form lines in the back and make sure our queens and elders stay up front,” Blackfoot padded up, his ear flicking and his jet black paws scuffing along some of the dust, knocking loose a couple small pebbles in front of Mothermouth. “I also want a line of volunteers on the sides and in front of our senior warriors, so that we can protect all sides of the weaker kits, elders, and queens. We leaders will take up the front, spread out to hopefully cover enough ground in front in order to protect as many of us as possible. No more talk, form up, move out. Let’s go.”  
Blackfoot wasn’t messing around, and several cats began to move, forming a defensive circle around the queens, kits and elders. Several kits began to look scared, their eyes wide while their mothers stood above them. Some were nudged, the clans starting to move around and up the slopes towards the four leaders.  
Bramblepaw remained in pawstep with Brightheart, her ear perked and her one eye on the lookout. No scents of Bloodclan’s rotten carrion smell or the drifting scents of Twolegplace would bother the cats as they moved up the rocks and slopes, the four leaders rapidly taking the front and beginning to head towards the mountains. They still had quite the journey ahead of them, but Bramblepaw was more interested in keeping his clanmates safe throughout the journey.  
Glancing to Brightheart, he lowered his ears. “You’re still okay, right?” he asked the she-cat, who quickly brought her gaze to his.  
“Of course…” Brightheart mewed half-heartedly, her tail raising just briefly while her whiskers twitched. “What about you? That was pretty terrifying that Leopardstar wanted you killed, and Tawnypaw too… You both don’t deserve that.”  
“No, we don’t…” Bramblepaw meowed in pure agreement. He had done nothing wrong to justify such treatment from the Riverclan leader, but it couldn’t be helped now that Tigerstar had destroyed the forest as they knew it. “I hope we can make it through the mountains without much issue,” Bramblepaw went on quietly, keeping a quieter tone similar to the rest of the clan cats. They were all afraid of the journey, some may not even make it, but Bramblepaw was unsure how dangerous this journey would be…  
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Brightheart replied as she glanced back, checking on the deputies behind them.  
Only three deputies were there. Mistyfoot took the far side, behind mostly Shadowclan and Riverclan warriors. Oakfur – the newest Shadowclan deputy, Bramblepaw presumed – was just behind the Thunderclan and Shadowclan warriors while Deadfoot remained on the left and kept behind Windclan and Thunderclan.  
To Bramblepaw’s surprise, none of the three current deputies looked even slightly tired from yesterday’s events. They were pretty torn up, sure, but they had fire in their eyes as they kept their gazes over the clans, making sure no one fell behind.  
It wasn’t long until Stormpaw and Featherpaw had moved behind the Riverclan cats, standing beside Mistyfoot now. All three had gray to gray-blue pelts, Featherpaw’s pelt adding a silver sheen tabby look for her fur. The two apprentices and the deputy had been through great hardship, moving from a devastated Riverclan to Thunderclan during Tigerstar vying for more power and killing half-clan “disloyal” cats. Stonefur was the only casualty amongst the three that day, and Stonefur and Mistyfoot had been Stormpaw’s and Featherpaw’s mentors.  
An understanding passed over Mistyfoot’s gaze, and she said nothing to the two apprentices as they pressed close to her. The world had been cruel to Stormpaw and Featherpaw…  
Graystripe left Riverclan so long ago, it seemed, to come back to Thunderclan when he betrayed Riverclan to keep Firestar protected from Leopardstar. Silverstream – their mother – died giving birth to the two apprentices and they had to watch in terror as Stonefur was murdered in cold blood before them. Their pelts were thin, they were scared, but they were trying to remain as strong as they could with the ruination of the clans.  
When looking at the three Riverclan cats, Bramblepaw found that his position might be the least worrisome of the clan cats. They had it pretty difficult, and he wondered if they had to work twice as hard to prove to Riverclan that they are just as good for their clan as they can be. That they can be warriors worthy of such a title.  
Bramblepaw glanced forward, catching Graystripe limping alongside Cinderpelt. The two were exchanging quiet words with one another, Graystripe chuckling very quietly but the twitch of his whiskers and half-smile showed that he wasn’t exactly prepared or ready to keep going with this move.  
Ears pricked, he eavesdropped on the conversation.  
Cinderpelt’s voice was serious. “Graystripe, Firestar hasn’t named his deputy yet, and we know how Starclan will feel about that.” Her tail thrashed. “It’s definitely well past moon-high, are you scatterbrained?”  
“No, of course not, but we haven’t had much time to tally up all the dead…” Graystripe reminded her. “We know the cats who are dead, and some who are missing, but we aren’t in a state that lets us do too much… All of us are hurt, those of us left are. If he is waiting to name a deputy, I would hope it isn’t me, I can barely walk let alone hunt or fight now. I’m only walking because of you…”  
Bramblepaw’s tail flicked. Is his leg hurt enough to make sure he can’t remain a warrior? Bramblepaw asked without speaking, unknowing of what kind of damage that Graystripe’s leg had been in.  
“Bluestar waited until past moon-high to name Firestar as her deputy,” Cinderpelt admitted, lowering her head. “We aren’t in bad shape with him as our leader, even if we lost the battle… Do you think Bluestar would have been able to save us?” Cinderpelt asked suddenly. The questioned pricked at Bramblepaw’s pelt, as if he had a thorn stuck in his side.  
The large gray warrior shook his head. “No,” he responded simply, before bringing his yellow gaze to Cinderpelt’s. “Bluestar wasn’t okay for a really long time, without the dog attack and her death, she never would’ve found her faith in Starclan again. Even if Firestar could have survived the dog attack on his own, I doubt she would have been in shape enough to fight Tigerstar and Bloodclan. I think you can see the logic behind that.”  
“Maybe,” Cinderpelt shook her head, seeming more fretful from Graystripe’s words. “Would anyone have made a good enough leader to fight such a horrible force?”  
“No,” Graystripe repeated, tail flicking momentarily, even though he was being patient with her. “Out of the current leaders who lead us right now, Firestar is the fairest amongst them.” There was a brief pause in speaking, but Graystripe slowly shook his head. “Leopardstar can’t be trusted, she’s already tried to get one of our apprentices killed… Something tells me she won’t let this slide so easily,” Graystripe continued as he awkwardly twisted paw and winced, straightening himself out. “We have to protect Bramblepaw from her claws, and we have to hope Tallstar doesn’t try anything either… I am unsure of both their intentions.”  
“Tallstar is a very good friend of Thunderclan, and he heard Bramblepaw’s answer to Tigerstar,” Cinderpelt pointed out, her whiskers twitching as she had spotted Graystripe’s wince and misbalance. “Windclan can be trusted, and so can Shadowclan. They have Tigerstar’s other kin, after all. Tawnypaw is a part of their clan now. It is only Riverclan causing problems.”  
Graystripe lowered his head. “I guess you’re right, but one way or another, we do need a deputy. Without Whitestorm around… Who has the ambition and the trust to become the deputy?”  
Cinderpelt’s neck fur bristled lightly. “If it weren’t for your injuries, I would assume Firestar would pick you… But your injuries are very devastating, it’ll take a few moons to heal and I don’t know if you’ll ever be to full strength.” Her tail flicked his ear softly. “Firestar will pick a deputy soon, let us just hope it won’t come at the cost of defying Starclan for it.”  
Both the cats delved into more quietness, along with the whisperings of the rest of the clans. Bramblepaw tried to angle his ears to hear them better, but found with the other noises, it was close to impossible to make out any important information. It was nice to hear that Graystripe and Cinderpelt seemed to believe in him. Instead of being thrown to the dogs, they would at least try to protect him, but Bramblepaw couldn’t help but wonder if one day, he could become the deputy of Thunderclan.  
Surely, I’ve proven myself enough as is? Bramblepaw asked himself, his gaze down now as his amber eyes glowed with self-concern. I want to protect Thunderclan from any future threats. My visions of Tigerstar… They feel so real, what if another cat comes along with Tigerstar’s same ambitions? I don’t want my clan to suffer because of that.  
Bramblepaw raised his head, spotting Firestar at the edge of his vision. Sandstorm was walking beside the fiery ginger tom, and his green eyes darted to the side. Bramblepaw flinched, noticing how harsh the green gaze was on him now, locking the young apprentice into his mentor’s gaze. Neither tom gave any indication to anyone else what was happening between them, but Bramblepaw couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread with the intense crystalline gaze on his own. Firestar seemed to be staring right into Bramblepaw, not past him, as if his gaze were searching for something important.  
I want to protect Thunderclan, Bramblepaw wished he could tell his mentor and leader that from this distance, and he could see Firestar’s mouth move as he spoke to Sandstorm.  
Then his gaze tore away from Bramblepaw as quick as it had latched on, and the apprentice felt freed from tendrils of bracken. To disappoint his leader… He hoped he hadn’t, he hoped that Firestar could see the good in him, rather than to see his father.  
Glancing to the side, he noticed that Brightheart had been speaking in a hushed tone with Cinderpelt. The medicine cat gave a slight nod, whispering in a rapid hushed tone back to scarred she-cat. Whatever it was had to have been somewhat important, but Bramblepaw diverted his attention back to the other Thunderclan apprentices. They had gathered a bit ahead of the warriors, and he moved forward in order to walk with them. Both apprentices looked afraid, but they still had some excitement in their eyes to be travelling so far away.  
Fernpaw’s pale green eyes were gazing at the mountains as the large group of cats was getting closer and closer. Thornpaw was the same, his ears perked as they both whispered between themselves, then they noticed Bramblepaw slip up to walk beside them. For a moment, Fernpaw twitched, as if having seen a ghost, though both the apprentices relaxed rapidly as they realized it was just Bramblepaw.  
“I hope you’re okay, Bramblepaw?” Fernpaw asked with genuine concern etching her voice.  
Bramblepaw gave her a nod. “Just tired, really…”  
Fernpaw opened her mouth as if to speak again, but quickly closed it, as if her words might have hurt Bramblepaw further. Thornpaw spoke up instead, pricking his ears and twitching his whiskers.  
“Do you think this new territory that Firestar spoke of is real?” Thornpaw meowed.  
I can’t tell them what I saw, Bramblepaw reminded himself, and he replied with a slow nod. “Yeah, I think they do. I wonder if Starclan is okay moving across the sky like this… But I am sure that they will be fine, just the same as us, if what Firestar says is true.” Bramblepaw glanced up to the sky now, amber eyes emblazoning with flames.  
“We have to have faith in them,” Thornpaw nodded in agreement. “Starclan is strong, and we will not let them die out so easily.”  
“I hope not…” Bramblepaw muttered.  
But that same sense of dread had crept back into his paws, and he brought his gaze back to Firestar. The tom no longer looked to Bramblepaw, but he could feel a disturbance in the air between them…  
I hope we will arrive safely to the place we belong, this so-called lake…


	11. 9: Moonlight

The journey was already feeling long, an egregious stain on Bramblepaw’s paws as he padded along with his clanmates. They were already starting to look half starved, the days quiet amongst the clans other than pausing in the mountains to find prey. Bramblepaw even found the prey itself was lacking in most areas, the trails were long and it felt as if he was personally being preyed upon by even the skies. Large birds circled overhead, a few of Windclan’s cats repeating the word “hawk” and warning others that they were dangerous and that the clans should at least try and seek shelter amidst the growing waves of danger.  
Every trail the clans took was narrow and long, and some cats did their best to stick to the cliff face when faced with the long fall on the opposite side of the trail. Bramblepaw felt the same way, the height was dizzying and he was afraid of the long fall.  
If anyone dies, will they meet with Starclan? Bramblepaw wondered to himself, not knowing if Starclan occupied these skies or not. Silverpelt was shining above now, the clans resting in the crevice nearby that seemed to lead into a larger cavern, but none dared go deeper inside. What few kits there were, the queens were keeping huddled close, and the apprentices had become terrified since the battle of practically every little movement.  
Their fears compared little to Bramblepaw’s, who could practically see Tigerstar in his own shadow every day. When his mind wasn’t on the long drops below or the towering peaks that rose way above, Bramblepaw’s mind constantly thought of Tigerstar’s dark amber eyes and the bloodlust behind every heartbeat, every reason the tom had to live. If Tigerstar was in Silverpelt somewhere, he was afraid of the future. How could Starclan let such an evil tom into their ranks? A father who was never around, one who tried to make his kits into something they weren’t…  
With his mind on Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw glanced to the sleeping she-cat, feeling a surge of anger as his claws unsheathed and scraped the rock beneath him. His ears remained perked, listening to the sounds of the howling wind outside the crevice, and glancing up to his clanmates. Amber eyes glistened in the soft moonlight, Bramblepaw watching each of his sleeping clanmates.  
He had volunteered to stay up, fear of nightmares keeping him on his paws. It wouldn’t be long until he became a night-cat at this rate, unable to sleep over the terrors that haunted his dreams. The daylight would probably bring a deep-seeded tiredness that wouldn’t go away, and if he stayed up further, the night may keep him awake again.  
Firestar had reluctantly agreed to let the apprentice warn the clans of any potential danger, but Bramblepaw was determined to keep the clans safe from the clutches of those like Tigerstar… or the more likely, hawks.  
Shuffling his paws, he slipped back closer to the entrance of the crevice, ears perked. All he could hear was the howling wind, and what sounded like the distant echo of snores behind him. Along the opposite wall outside the crevice, between the trail and the cliff face, was another of the long drops into an abyss. The darkness encompassing the outside world felt evil and dark, the air thick for how fast it could move and weave between rocks.  
In the darkness, however, Bramblepaw thought he could hear the sounds of paw steps. Leaning forward, the dark tabby narrowed his eyes and tried to peer into the dark world outside, feeling as if his clans had disappeared from behind him. The tom glanced back to double check if the clans were still safe, noticing all had fallen asleep, each one curled up. Seeing how thin they were made Bramblepaw’s heart skip a beat, but he slipped out into the howling winds.  
His fur immediately blew back, Bramblepaw needing to keep his eyes narrowed in order to see more than a few feet ahead of himself. With his amber gaze looking upwards, he took note of the winding trails that lay above him like a maze. Shadows cast everywhere as the waning moon remained above a half moon in the sky. Bramblepaw slipped forward, following the weird sounds that captivated his attention. Each paw step he made was one more step closer to the sound, it almost sounded as if it was the speaking of cats. Meows with dialects that Bramblepaw wasn’t quite sure of. The accents were somewhat thicker, stronger, and Bramblepaw could feel the power behind the words.  
Yet he couldn’t hear specifically what the voices were saying. They were distant echoes, similar to how his clanmates sounded, though Bramblepaw continued to push against the howling winds.  
Ears perked, Bramblepaw paused and heard the sound of more paw steps from behind him. Turning around, the tom noticed the familiar calico pelt of Tawnypaw. Her green eyes remained soft, her head tilted and her tail ever so slightly raised in greeting.  
From her stance, she hadn’t been trying to sneak up on him.  
“I… hope I didn’t wake you,” Bramblepaw mumbled, glancing back up the trail. The voices of the cats had since stopped, so he quickly turned his attention to Tawnypaw.  
“No, sleep has been… difficult, but from the way you’ve been treating sleep, I can tell you feel the same,” Tawnypaw replied, glancing up the trail. “Do you really think it is safe out here with those hawks Windclan keeps mentioning?” Tawnypaw questioned after a heartbeat silence. Her gaze betrayed her fear, but at the same time, Bramblepaw could see his own curiosity in her gaze. She wanted to know what was further up the trail, and what exactly was around these mountains.  
Bramblepaw shrugged. “No, I am quite unsure, but I… thought I heard something,” he admitted, left ear flicking once as he awaited a response from Tawnypaw. Instead of seeing any recoil or any ideas of him getting crazy, he continued to speak. “I thought I heard other cats, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.”  
Tawnypaw watched him momentarily before glancing back up the trail. “Well, you are supposed to be warning the clans of danger… We should make sure there is danger in the first place, and two of us is better than one anyways. Come on.” Tawnypaw slipped past Bramblepaw, closer to the abyss than he was, and moved up ahead on the trail. “If there are two of us, then one can run and let our clans know of the danger. Hopefully before the other one is seriously hurt.”  
Not seeing much flaw in the logic, and not particularly interested in going back to the crevice, Bramblepaw followed after his sister.  
There wasn’t any resistance as they reached the top, hopping up onto the rocks. Bramblepaw’s paw pads felt raw, the three days in the mountains had felt like an extra moon, and his curiosity hadn’t gotten the best of him until now. The mountains felt more like a death trap than a place for cats to stay, but Bramblepaw digressed as his eyes gazed around the flat rock sprawled out ahead of them. It was long, for certain, but his eyes spotted no cats amidst the surfaces of the rock. The kin padded along the rocky surface, feeling little in the way of other dirt and grass beneath their paws while the smell of rain was quickly moving upon them.  
“We will need to find shelter soon,” Bramblepaw commented negatively, his ears flicking as they continued to trek along the rocks. “Rain is coming, and from the smell of it, a storm.” It would explain the heaviness from earlier, the air was already thick with the deep scent of the rocks.   
“You’re right,” Tawnypaw replied as she stopped after a couple more paw steps. “Do you want to keep searching for these cats you heard or make our way back?”  
Bramblepaw glanced over the rocky flat surfaces, the moon casting just enough glow for him to make out silhouettes of large rocks. In the distance, a pair of two light blue orbs caught his attention, glowing in the moonlight. “What’s that?” he asked, indicating with his paw to the two orbs. The wind made it difficult to quite make out what it was at first.  
“What?” Tawnypaw questioned as she turned back around, following where Bramblepaw had indicated. “I don’t see anything,” Tawnypaw replied as she tried to search for whatever mysterious thing Bramblepaw had motioned to.  
“It looks like…” Bramblepaw paused, leaning forward and trying to make out the shape. He could see the orbs a bit more clearly, they had been cat eyes! Bramblepaw’s heart stopped, noticing the eyes were staring straight at him. The cat was unrecognizable, Bramblepaw couldn’t even really see the pelt until the silhouette moved and stood up, revealing the lithe body of a she-cat. Her ears were perked and her whiskers glowed a deep silver color that was shining almost as much as any star in the night sky. “It looks like a cat,” Bramblepaw mumbled.  
Tawnypaw shook her head. “I don’t see it…” she mumbled back, her meow remaining quiet just in case.  
As Tawnypaw spoke, the silver she-cat bounded off, disappearing behind a large gray rock. As she did, Bramblepaw stood up and started to follow.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tawnypaw hissed quietly, but unwilling to let Bramblepaw go alone, began to follow after him.  
“I want to follow her,” Bramblepaw replied in a hushed tone, feeling a droplet of water dab his nose. They didn’t have that much time if they wanted to be back before the storm started. “She moved behind that rock, I don’t want to lose her.” Bramblepaw didn’t wait for Tawnypaw to speak, his fur ruffling from the wind as he swiftly moved forward. While he didn’t take a sneaking crouch, he was certain to at least try and be somewhat light on his paws.  
When he travelled the lengthy distance, Bramblepaw moved up to the rock and heard the sounds of rushing water nearby. The icy wind buffeted his fur, yet Bramblepaw continued forward without thinking about the weather. Nearby, he could hear the sounds of paw steps not his or Tawnypaw’s, and he quickly turned towards them and started to follow.  
“Careful, would you?” Tawnypaw whispered from behind Bramblepaw.  
The tom ignored her completely and didn’t even acknowledge her words, the mysterious she-cat he had seen was just ahead, he knew it. He had questions, and he wanted to know where this cat had come from. If there was one up here, there was bound to be far more. Unless it was a rogue, but Bramblepaw couldn’t see a rogue wanting to live this far up in the mountains. The idea – to Bramblepaw – wasn’t tangible. This place just wasn’t suited for cats.  
As his paws continued to carry him forward, a sweet and soft scent blew into his nose, the wind carrying the scent from further up. “This way,” Bramblepaw told Tawnypaw as he hopped over an old and long decayed log. Tawnypaw made no comment…  
Bramblepaw almost moved too far, his paws sliding on the surface of the rock as he glanced down, a river moving between him and the far bank. The rock below him was raised slightly, not getting very wet from the river, but there was a lower set of rocks acting like a riverbank like back home. There was no mud here, just slippery rock that couldn’t – or shouldn’t – be walked upon.  
“We should turn back,” Tawnypaw suggested, her own gaze landing on the glossy black river. “There isn’t anything here for us. We will only get lost if we go farther ahead, and the rain has already started.”  
Tawnypaw was right, Bramblepaw could already feel his pelt beginning to cling to his body and his fur starting to weigh on his body. But stubbornness kept him from turning back. “I have to find that cat,” Bramblepaw meowed, taking a few paw steps back and crouching. “And I’m not stopping until I do.” The energy Bramblepaw had was new, and even Tawnypaw seemed to notice, her tail flicking repeatedly as she stood in front of him, blocking Bramblepaw from trying to leap over the river.  
“Mouse brain! Both of us are going to come down with whitecough if we remain out here for too long,” Tawnypaw argued. “We have to go back, the storm is going to catch us now no matter what so we need to go back.” The calico glared towards Bramblepaw, who only shook his head.  
“Then go back, I’ll be fine,” Bramblepaw replied as he gently nudged his sister away from the ledge of the river. Tawnypaw bared her teeth.  
“Bramblepaw! We can check it out after the storm but we need to go back to the clan, make sure they’re safe!” Tawnypaw continued to argue, her ears pinning back. “I don’t want to find you dead at sunrise because a hawk found you for its midnight snack.”  
“I’m not stupid, Tawnypaw, I’m fine,” Bramblepaw snapped, standing at full with amber eyes glowing in irritation. “I’m going to follow that cat.”  
When bramble entwines with silver… Bramblepaw couldn’t help but repeat the words of the prophecy Starclan had spoken of, and if that she-cat had such a silver coat… Would she be someone Bramblepaw needed to meet? The she-cat was more important in Bramblepaw’s mind than the clans at the moment, he had to follow her.  
Tawnypaw didn’t seem to be having any of it. “Fine! Catch whitecough for all I care, Bramblepaw,” she hissed, backing away from the ledge with her tail lowered and her ears plastered to the sides of her head. “Don’t drown…” she mumbled as she began to pad away, her head remaining low as she gave Bramblepaw a last glance.  
“I won’t,” Bramblepaw replied as he got back into his crouch, taking another few paw steps backwards. He could hear Tawnypaw’s paw steps for only a few moments more before the calico disappeared and Bramblepaw was left alone on his quest.  
Taking a long breath, he could still smell the sweet and soft scent of the silver she-cat, and Bramblepaw darted forward, gaining as much momentum as he could possibly manage. At the last second, Bramblepaw launched himself off the edge, pushing his body upwards and as high into the air as he could manage. A harsh wind pushed from behind him, as if boosting the apprentice towards the other side. By the time he was actually falling, he was well over trajectory and he landed on his paws. Wet stone made Bramblepaw slip, the tom crying out as he smacked his face against the rock along with his chest and side.  
Bramblepaw didn’t get up for several heartbeats, his body already sore from the journey and doubly so after the fall. When he did get up, he heard his bones creak and pop, and the sound of rain was harsher than the wind itself. Shaking his head to get the blood flowing, Bramblepaw glanced around, the rain creating an almost fog like effect as Bramblepaw’s vision only went so far.  
With the only trail being to follow the she-cat’s scent, Bramblepaw began to move forward. A sore body wasn’t going to stop him as he pushed his way past rocks, bushes, weeds and long decayed trees. There was no sound of other cats, or even prey, as the rain began to pour down much more harshly. While the weather might be harsh, Bramblepaw wasn’t giving up, his heart set out for finding this she-cat as he continued to push forward…  
Until his front paws met with nothing.  
I-I walked off the ledge! Bramblepaw’s eyes widened in despair as his body careened downwards, his paws desperately trying to grab something as his amber eyes brightened in fear. “No!” he cried out, scrabbling to try and get a paw hold on something, ears pinned back as his back paws flipped above his head. His jaw gaped open in a cry of shrill terror, before his body hit something hard and he immediately blacked out…

***

Bramblepaw slowly opened his eyes at the plop of a droplet of water hitting his nose. The young apprentice groaned, his body screeching at him to stop moving, and he could barely see anything in the darkness surrounding him. His paws moved beneath his chest, his head having been resting on a lightly raised rock as he awkwardly and gradually lifted himself up and off the ground. Below him, Bramblepaw realized he had landed in a rather large puddle of water. His body was drenched, fur clinging to his sides and making him look exceptionally thin in comparison to what a cat should have been.  
Dragging himself out of the little pool of water, Bramblepaw turned around and looked up. The storm had passed, and the moon was shining down through a hole in the roof of the cavern. The water that Bramblepaw had spent a lot of time soaking into his own fur seemed to reflect the moonlight almost perfectly. The moon reflected back, entering Bramblepaw’s view as he glanced at it.  
Almost immediately, he felt like eyes were watching him. The stars seemed to surround the moon in a perfect circle, even moving around the dark portion of the moon that was missing. Another droplet of water splashed into the pool, ripples slipping through the water as the moon seemed to shift and wax until full. Bramblepaw blinked, pausing for a heartbeat before tentatively stepping forward to get a better view of the small pool as it morphed and changed.  
The moon continued to shift and morph in the rippling waters, Bramblepaw watching and feeling mesmerized by the waters as the stars shifting across the black water.  
It wasn’t long until the moon’s shape took that of a cat’s face, a silver glow to her pelt with a black patch of fur over her right eye. Bramblepaw tilted his head in confusion, wondering who this cat was as he tilted his head slowly.  
“Welcome to the Cave of Pointed Stones, young one.”  
The voice made Bramblepaw jump, his body instantly whirling around and seeing nothing in the darkness beyond the light of the reflected pool of water. His amber gaze tried to search for something, anything, but there was no other light.  
“I’m right here.”  
Bramblepaw turned back around, seeing the she-cat from the surface as she had appeared from nearby a rock formation. Pointed rocks aimed both down and up, many of them with sharp tips that Bramblepaw hadn’t realized. If the hole above had been any further in any direction, well… Bramblepaw would be crow food, to say the least.  
The silver she-cat’s lithe figure moved forward, towards Bramblepaw before sitting beside him at the edge of the pool of water.  
“This is a rather beautiful sight, is it not?” she asked, tail raised as her smile seemed to light up the cavern all on its own with a warm glow of white and sharp fangs. “This place used to be filled with cats happily eating and learning to love one another and connect with the stars,” the cat continued, sitting beside the pool and stretching her front paws. Bramblepaw had no idea who this cat was, but her accent was similar to that of the ones he had heard before. A bit thicker, and while her body was lithe and agile, her muscle tone was much more than that of a normal warrior. She stood almost twice as tall as Bramblepaw…  
“Who are you?” Bramblepaw asked.  
“A good question,” the she-cat replied, her eyes not leaving the puddle of water. “The name I was given was Moon Above the Horizon, but you can just call me Moon.”  
Odd name, Bramblepaw thought without commenting on it aloud. Offending the she-cat was the last thing on his mind. “My name is-.”  
“I know what your name is,” Moon purred softly, her tail swaying from side to side as she leaned down and continuously watched the moon in the water. “Bramblepaw, an apprentice of the long-running clans. Many moons have passed since the clans were formed,” the she-cat commented, making Bramblepaw shiver. Who was this cat? How could she possibly know such things? Bramblepaw felt nothing but bewilderment and curiosity. “I will not ask what you have seen in the pool,” Moon continued as she finally moved her blue gaze away from the water and having her eyes land on Bramblepaw’s amber. "That vision is for you and you alone. The skies are a mysterious place, Bramblepaw, they contain many secrets if one knows how to look for them.”  
“The skies?” Bramblepaw repeated, tail flicking. This cat’s mysterious words made little sense to Bramblepaw, and he looked back down to the pool.  
Moon giggled very lightly. “This place was once home to cats like your own, but unlike the clans, we were known as the Tribe of Rushing Water,” Moon replied as she remained patient. “When the Tribe first arrived here, they found these caves, and one cat was appointed as the Teller of the Pointed Stones. Stoneteller, as he would be called by the Tribe as a short name, would read signs in this very cave. Few cats know how to read the signs, and some stumble upon signs and never see them again. The Tribe’s ancestors – like your Starclan – have been mysterious for many, many seasons.”  
“What does… this have to do with me?” Bramblepaw queried.  
“For you? Nothing,” Moon meowed. “But this history is important to the clans themselves, for they wouldn’t exist without the Tribe.”  
“What do you mean?” Bramblepaw pondered further, feeling his curiosity slowly being settled as he realized this cat had many answers to questions he had plenty of.  
Moon didn’t response at first, as if in thought, before smiling. “The Tribe had a lot of troubles up here, so they sent cats away to find a new place to live. They never returned, but those cats would go on to form the five clans. Thunderclan, a clan of bravery and strength. Riverclan, a clan of sleekness and defense. Shadowclan, the clan of subtlety and stealth. Windclan, the clan of speed and grace. And Skyclan, the clan of climbing and agility.”  
“Skyclan?” Bramblepaw shook his head. “Wouldn’t the fifth clan be Starclan?”  
“No, they are the sixth clan, and they walked the skies so that the clans could survive their first heated battles. That time was so long ago, the stories were changed many times over.” Moon settled down, her paws tucked beneath her chest. “The Tribe never heard from the five clans again, they didn’t even know the clans were formed as the travelling cats had grown apart from each other.”  
Bramblepaw had a sleuth of new questions. “What… What happened to Skyclan?” he asked, wondering how and where the fifth clan could even exist.  
“Another good question, for it pertains to an uncertain and unsteadily changing future for the clans,” the she-cat replied, her voice losing the lighthearted tone from before as she watched the pool with a frown. Bramblepaw began to watch the pool now too, seeing it morph again into the silhouette of many cats against the outline of the moon. “Skyclan’s destiny was unfair,” Moon stated. “They were warriors of a different caliber, living in tall trees beyond Riverclan and Thunderclan territory. When twolegs built new nests in their territory, the other clans forced them out, even when they begged for a small piece of each of the other territories.” Moon shook her head in disappointment. “News quickly spread of their leaving, but the clans only assumed they disbanded, Skyclan brought some of Starclan with them instead. They moved far away, to a gorge following the river between Riverclan and Thunderclan territory. Last I heard, they were struggling to survive.” Moon flexed her claws, jaw briefly clenching momentarily before she continued. “Skyclan was driven out, and in the moons to come, you will need to train as hard as ever, Bramblepaw. The twolegs are planning to one day move into that territory, into the territory where the clans once stayed. Scourge’s Bloodclan will follow the trail of the clans when that happens, and try and take your new territory. I cannot tell you how many seasons you have left, but you will become the warrior your clans need you to be.”  
“That’s… a lot of pressure,” Bramblepaw thought stupidly, trying to wrap his head around the ideas he was just presented with. “But why would Scourge follow us? We want nothing to do with him, he got what he wanted.”  
“Like I said, the twolegs will destroy everything. There will be no prey, there will be no territory, and Scourge and his clan will have learned and gotten used to hunting well for once, rather than digging up twoleg leftovers. They know the clans left, after all, and when they return, you will need to beat them again. Scourge will remain the nemesis of the clans for a long ways to come…”  
“Why are you telling me this?” Bramblepaw replied as the pool image morphed into the familiar black cat with white paws and the dark violet collar of teeth and claws around his neck.  
A silence hung in the air as Moon didn’t speak, the she-cat shaking her head. “Because I don’t want to see the clans fall due to another stupid mistake. Firestar was supposed to be the cat to save the clans, he was supposed to be a part of a huge prophecy foretelling moons of other prophecies, intertwined and interconnected until everything was wrapped neatly and tightly in the final battle. That future is long gone, and the stars are scared of what is to come.”  
“They’re scared…” Bramblepaw echoed before shaking his head. “What… Whatever happened to the Tribe, then, if they lived here?”  
“Prey got too scarce one leaf-bare, the prey stopped running and the clan passed from sickness. The few who survived were the ones who left the mountains, the Stoneteller of the time too stubborn to leave their home, along with many others. You’ll meet a descendent of theirs when you arrive by the lake.”  
“Is she important?”  
“I cannot say.”  
“You can’t or you won’t?”  
“I can’t,” Moon confirmed. “I have no idea if this cat will be of any help to you, I just know their history, like I know a lot of history. I have walked the skies for a rather long time, Bramblepaw, and I know many things about the clans, the tribe, and plenty of other groups of cats with ancestors. There are many more than just Starclan, and maybe one day, you’ll get to meet them… But it is important that the clans do not fall, failure in the clans might be a failure for many more cats, and the future generations who have potential to love and be loved.”  
“And you want me to know so that I can stop it,” Bramblepaw realized as his gaze landed on the water, seeing the she-cat with the black patch of fur over her eye. “Then am I the only one who can save these clans?”  
“I don’t even know that, many other prophecies were foretold well before the events,” Moon explained quietly. “You were supposed to see Midnight and talk to her, you were supposed to kill a cat to protect your clan, your mate was supposed to have a litter of three kits whom she would lie to you about to protect her sister, and those three kits would go on to become the strongest of the clan in order to protect them in the final battle. Many things were supposed to happen, but they didn’t. Everything is skewed, and the future is very uncertain. Starclan saw a new future, but I don’t even think they are certain of that future, and what you may become.”  
Bramblepaw took a deep breath, his ears flicking as he looked up through the hole in the cavernous roof. The moon was slipping out of view now, much time had passed since he first arrived here and he knew he had to be going back to the clans soon. Someone probably took over his shift already, or maybe they were looking for him… Bramblepaw didn’t know.  
Turning his gaze back down, Bramblepaw blinked as he realized Moon wasn’t beside him anymore, the cavern plunging into darkness…  
“But… I still had more questions…” Bramblepaw thought as he glanced around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness.  
Moon wasn’t there anymore, and Bramblepaw was left to sit alone in front of the pool that continued to reflect the stars overhead, which had glowed brightly… The image of the she-cat was gone, and only Bramblepaw’s reflection looked him back, his amber eyes dim with uncertainty.


	12. 10: Cavern

Bramblepaw turned his head away from the pool and glanced up to the hole in the roof of the cavern, where he had originally fallen into the pool that reflected the moon. His eyes searched calmly for a way to climb up, but any paw hold he could muster would be useless. There weren’t enough grooves, and the teeth-like rock stabbing downwards all seemed too smooth to get a good grip on. Even the water from the new rain that was coming down had made everything too wet to try and travel up on.  
Turning around, the apprentice knew he had to seek another way out. If this cave was home to a tribe, they had to have a real way out, some other entrance for other cats. This would be Stoneteller’s cave, which meant he was probably as deep as the caverns went.  
With one pawstep at a time, Bramblepaw lowered his head and padded away from the pool, trying to keep Moon’s words on mind. That cat had an aura to her, and she walked with stars like an ancestor. If she knew the origins of the clans, then Bramblepaw had to put faith in the stars to keep them safe. Even if the future was skewed beyond comprehension, he was willing to put his paws forward until he finally got his clan into a place of relative safety. The clans would always be willing to fight for small things like territory, but this world was changed for them.  
“I can’t miss the old territory anymore,” Bramblepaw reminded himself, shaking his head as the image of Fourtrees and a full moon entered his mind. The vision flashed and was so brief, but the memories slammed Bramblepaw’s heart, and he had to force away any emotion he felt in order to keep his body composed. “That territory is Scourge’s, and I need to get the clans up to strength… If Starclan has destined me for this task, then I have no intention to fail.” His own words gave him more strength than he reckoned, his head raising as he glanced around upon exiting the room with the pool.  
The entire cavern was as dark as could possibly be, but it felt so unnatural to walk into the dark rooms with his back being the only source of illumination. The sound of the river above felt deafening, and Bramblepaw’s eyes delved deep into the darkness to find a way out. Any natural light barely outlined the world around him.  
To his left, Bramblepaw noticed a cave extend into a room with what looked like small holes. Padding over, he tentatively placed a paw inside the hole, noting how rounded out and smooth it was. Could these have been nests for the Tribe? They seemed to be weird cats, but Bramblepaw was reminded that this world – these mountains – were vastly different than the forests he was used to. Moss probably wasn’t the normal commodity, probably rare, and considering how often the forest cats had to replace bedding… Not as sustainable in this world.  
While his curiosity on these nests wasn’t satisfying, Bramblepaw turned away, his eyes slowly adjusting to the incredible darkness that surrounded him. While it felt beyond natural, Bramblepaw continued to pace around the small place, exploring the caverns as his ears began to drown out the white noise of the river above him.  
I wish I could hear just the rain instead, Bramblepaw thought quietly to himself, his ears perking as he listened for any sound that would indicate his way out. With each little cavern he passed, he could feel something brush past him. The feeling was gentle, like the fur of a friend whom you passed on your way to pick up fresh kill from the pile directly after a training session.  
It reminded Bramblepaw of training with Tawnypaw, the brawls they would get into under the guidance of their mentors… Bramblepaw sighed at the thought, the training hollow could almost be felt between his paw pads, the gentle grass and sand mixture made the training hollow a beautiful place.  
The sun could be felt just as much, hot against Bramblepaw’s back, his breath hard against the still wind as he and Tawnypaw sparred for superiority with all the knowledge they had learned during their short time in training.  
Maybe they hadn’t been training that long, but Bramblepaw and her were strong in fighting. Their hunting – albeit not as great – was still top notch for apprentices of their moon age. Bramblepaw remembered flicking Tawnypaw into the air before trying to dart for where she was going to land, to catch her off guard with another attack, but was quickly blindsided when she twisted midair and twirled, landing perfectly on his shoulders.  
It had taken all of Bramblepaw’s strength to not immediately crumple at the sudden weight and throw her off but rolling her into the dirt.  
The memory made Bramblepaw’s lips twitch into a smile, his whiskers twitching in amusement as Firestar – Fireheart at the time – had told them that the sparring was enough. While they had a lot to learn, they passed the small test and sparred quite well. Though… Bramblepaw’s smile quickly faded, seeing the darkness lying behind Firestar’s green gaze that day. A pair of glossy leaf green eyes that watched him like a hawk, seeing nothing but Tigerstar in Bramblepaw’s dark tabby pelt and amber gaze. Even the thought now made Bramblepaw’s shoulders sag under the weight and pressure.  
“Can I even live up to Firestar’s expectations?” Bramblepaw pondered as he slipped away from the final cavern and his eyes caught the glimpse of rushing water ahead of him. The water tumbled downwards, which Bramblepaw had never seen before. Behind the water was almost nothing but pristine darkness, the white foam outlining the waterfall as Bramblepaw stepped closer to it. “Will I be nothing but disappointing to him? I don’t… want him to think I’ll be like my father.”  
Bramblepaw didn’t have an answer to that, but with Firestar’s recent actions and even more glares, he was unsure of how the fiery orange tom would treat him in the future. Before the battle, Firestar had treated him like a son, giving Bramblepaw advice. A father that Bramblepaw would prefer…  
Yet, that version of Firestar was vastly different than the distant Firestar of now. The Thunderclan leader was nothing more than a shell of his former self, and one that Bramblepaw wished desperately that he could heal.  
It was not in Bramblepaw to heal Firestar in such a way, Firestar had best friends who could do that far better than Bramblepaw ever could hope for.  
Graystripe, Cinderpelt, and Sandstorm were there.  
Bramblepaw was just a thorn in Firestar’s side, he was certain of it.  
I don’t care what it takes, I am not Tigerstar.  
“You think a lot.”  
The dark voice came from behind Bramblepaw, and the young apprentice froze on his paws, still sitting directly in front of the stream of water that tumbled down towards the rocky cropping far below. One wrong slip of the paw and Bramblepaw’s life would meet a terrifying conclusion. So the apprentice stood still, keeping his tail low and his head low now as well, feeling the water mist onto his whiskers and fur. He could almost feel the red eyes gazing at him from the darkness.  
“All these new skies and you’re worried about Starclan? And even… Firestar.” It’s dark cackling echoed in Bramblepaw’s ears. “That tom is nothing more than a soft-hearted kittypet, but maybe he grew some claws after all,” the evil bloody voice continued. The deepness crackled, almost like a storm was brewing. “I’ve seen the way he stares at my son, thinking he is just like me. What is so wrong with that, huh? After all, you have my drive. You want to be leader of the clan after all, even if you are quite young. Just like me…” A few paw steps made Bramblepaw lower his head further, his lips curling back to prepare a snarl. “Relax, all these new skies have weakened me for the time being. There is just so much to learn, including what this Moon taught you. I wouldn’t worry about what the stars have planned for you, I’m not done with you yet… Or Tawnypaw for that matter, you are my kin, I should get to train you.”  
“I don’t want to be trained by you,” Bramblepaw growled lowly, his ears pricking to the side. A dark spiky pelt brushed along his side, forcing Bramblepaw to shiver. “Leave me be, I have no interest in you and I never will.”  
Tigerstar’s warm breath touched Bramblepaw’s ear. “You have a lot of interest in me, don’t lie to me. I’ve got many who are training me as we speak, preparing me for a long and brutal fight ahead. I can read those thoughts in your head, I can pick out what your greatest fears are, and not one of them is close to thinking that becoming like me is the worst possible thing. You want to be a leader? Well when you’re older, you’ll become a leader, and I will give you your last life. Literally.”  
“I won’t let you give me any lives,” Bramblepaw growled turning to face his father with his head raised high and his lips drawn back into a snarl this time. He pushed his fears aside, and as his gaze turned to where Tigerstar had once been…  
He found he was alone, the darkness in the depths of the cavern seemed to brighten up as the moon came into view behind the waterfall. The path lit up as Bramblepaw backed away slowly, eyes wary of anything that could still be lurking in the darkness. The emptiness of this place made him feel more paranoid than he probably should, Tigerstar was dead, there was no threat from him left.  
Turning back around, Bramblepaw followed the light to his right side, noticing a cleft and path outside the waterfall and away from the cavern.  
Following it, he hopped up and felt the wind and the light rain. The storm had passed by so quickly, where did it go? The night was almost cloudless, the misty rain barely touched the outer layers of his fur. Did Moon conjure the storm to get him to follow her and listen to her stories?  
It would mean that they had to push Tawnypaw away, they didn’t want her to listen to the stories that were told in the caverns.  
“If the Tribe died out, then I’m sure this mountain range isn’t safe,” Bramblepaw muttered to himself, glancing around and recognizing the rocky overhang against the river that he had jumped across. The river would lead directly over the edge into the waterfall and plunging far below, but for now, Bramblepaw was on the correct side of the river, he didn’t have to jump back across.  
With the new knowledge, Bramblepaw quickly bounded across the surface, listening to the mountains around him in a faint hope that Tawnypaw stuck around. Disappointment quickly washed over Bramblepaw as he shook his head and realized that hope was gone as rapid as a rabbit into its burrow.  
Silently, he slipped back to the edges of the cliffs and found the trail back down to the small cave the remnants of the four clans were sleeping in. Their scents wafted up the trail and Bramblepaw suddenly felt cumbersome, his body was heavy and his eyes felt as if they were ready to close in sleep. No sleep on Bramblepaw’s end for the entire night, but he padded down the rocky path and glanced inside, a familiar scent striking his nose.  
Too late.  
The familiar orange fur pushed outside the rocky opening to the cave, shoving Bramblepaw backwards as he quickly scrambled to stay upright on his paws, amber eyes wide in surprise. Firestar had awoken! And the anger that protruded from the once calm leader’s demeanor had become sour with anger as green eyes glanced over Bramblepaw. The black pupils dilated, sharpening and focusing on Bramblepaw with fierce precision as Bramblepaw felt as if a claw had struck his throat, catching his vocal cords and not allowing him to even meow a greeting to the Thunderclan leader.  
“Where were you?” Firestar asked simply, his gaze harsh.  
Bramblepaw almost wished Tigerstar had pushed him off into the waterfall… It would’ve saved him the conversation with Firestar. “I-I thought I heard other cats,” Bramblepaw stammered as he meowed, trying to stand tall. The once-kind leader’s eyes narrowed, his long orange tail thrashing behind him but Firestar remained dead silent, so Bramblepaw continued. “I went up the trail where I thought I heard the voices, and I explored a small cave up there. I wanted to make sure no one was around, and no one was there. So now I came back.”  
“You’ve been gone quite a while,” Firestar replied with the flick of his ear, as if dismissing any idea of a threat in the mountains. “If what you say is true, I’m sure you would’ve come back sooner, you missed the changing of your shift. Webfoot and Russetfur have already taken over.” The Thunderclan leader seemed to ponder something before he spoke again. “Go inside and get some rest. I don’t want you dead on your paws when we leave tomorrow. Understood?”  
“Y-Yes, Firestar,” Bramblepaw responded, lowering his head and his ears pinning back. He felt as if Firestar still didn’t trust him, even though he left, he did originally think that there were other cats in these mountains. Now, he was almost certain it was Moon trying to lure him outside and towards the abandoned caves. Even now, Bramblepaw didn’t think he smelled a single scent of cat…  
Without another word, Bramblepaw darted past Firestar and into the cavern, eyes glancing around before he found Tawnypaw and rapidly slipped into the makeshift nest beside her. His body was uncomfortable on the rock, but he was protected from the wind and the mist here…  
Was he protected from Firestar?

***

By the time Bramblepaw had awoken, the buzz of the clans was already preparing to move out, and he felt a paw prod his side.  
“Get up, Firestar and the leaders have called for us to get going,” Tawnypaw’s voice greeted Bramblepaw, who slowly sat up and glanced around.  
Bramblepaw took note of the other cats walking around him, their eyes dull and their stances filled with dread at another day of travel in the mountains. He shook out his fur before swiping his tongue over his chest to flatten the fur even somewhat. “Today is another bad fur day,” Bramblepaw mumbled as he noticed how stuck out his fur was in comparison to most of the cats who were there. His fur was stuck up in various places, and he felt the soft warm tongue of Tawnypaw as she began to groom his fur.  
“Quiet and relax, we’ll be fine,” Tawnypaw mumbled before pulling away and her whisker twitching. “It’ll have to do,” she replied before standing fully and glancing around, watching the cats begin to shuffle outside and onto the rocky trail. “Let’s get going, we don’t want to be left behind. I hope your journey last night wasn’t too bad?”  
Bramblepaw didn’t know how to explain what he saw to Tawnypaw, but his sister was the only cat he could confide in for the matters that plagued his mind. He stood up beside her and lowered his voice down to a whisper.  
“I caught up with the cat I saw,” he started, noticing Tawnypaw’s bewilderment. Before she could interrupt him, Bramblepaw continued in his hushed tone. “She wasn’t just a normal she-cat,” Bramblepaw explained. “She was some ancestor, I think, of the clans. She talked about a clan of cats that used to live in these mountains, some… Tribe, I think she called it. The Tribe of Rushing Water.”  
“Weird name…” Tawnypaw mumbled in disbelief. Bramblepaw couldn’t blame her for not believing this wild tale.  
“Very,” Bramblepaw nodded in agreement, several cats passing them as they fell in line behind the small group of warriors, slipping outside the cavern. The sun breathed warmth onto Bramblepaw’s back, but after the night before, it just made him feel uncomfortable. “This cat – her name was Moon – she told me about the clans, and the tribe, and how they were connected. I didn’t get to ask her much, but… She told me that the clans would end up relying on me.”  
“On you?” Tawnypaw narrowed her gaze, but more out of confusion. “Why would any ancestor want you to help the clans? Not that you shouldn’t, we should work to bring the clans back to their greatest strength, but wouldn’t that message best be reserved for someone like Firestar?” Tawnypaw questioned.  
Even that was a question Bramblepaw had no answer to.  
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” Tawnypaw continued when Bramblepaw glanced away. “I’m just… confused, really, that seems like a message the leaders of the clans would get, not some apprentice like us.” Tawnypaw’s tail brushed over Bramblepaw’s shoulder and down his back, imitating the way Goldenflower would do in order to calm Bramblepaw when he was little. “Whatever the ancestors want us to do, whatever this Moon wants you to do… It doesn’t make sense. We aren’t prophetic warriors, after all, and even I don’t think Starclan would want us to do anything special until Tigerstar is… forgotten.”  
Bramblepaw felt she was right, but the situation was still a mess. “That’s not all she told me, she also told me we wouldn’t meet the last of that cat. Scourge, the leader of Bloodclan.”  
“Him? But he has our territory now, why would he follow us?”  
With the shake of his head, Bramblepaw sighed, watching as the clans shifted up and got to the top of the rocks, now on the larger flat surface he was on the night before. “Something about how the twolegs would destroy the territory, like they had done with another clan before.” Once more, Bramblepaw kept speaking before his sister could interrupt. “Moon spoke of a fifth clan, not Starclan, but Skyclan. They were like a mix of warriors between Thunderclan’s bulkier strength and Windclan’s graceful speed, and they were tree hunters. They didn’t hunt in undergrowth, they actually hunted in the trees.” Bramblepaw couldn’t think of how that could work… But he didn’t dwell on it. “Their territory was by the river beyond Thunderclan and Riverclan, and when that territory was gone, they were left to the wilds outside the clan territories. I don’t… know how true that is,” Bramblepaw admitted.  
Tawnypaw shrugged. “If it was something the clan leaders had to do, I’m sure there was reason for it,” she replied with a sigh, though she didn’t seem to believe her own words. “We can’t think about prophecies or what Starclan wants us to do. We have to protect our clanmates the best we can and become great warriors that will one day be of a great service to our clans.”  
“That is something we can both agree on,” Bramblepaw replied with a half-hearted smile in return.  
He couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat as he followed his clanmates through the mountains though, but he felt as if they were close to the end of their journey… Hopefully the mountains were as forgiving as he had hoped.


	13. 11: Hunt

“Just up ahead!”  
Bramblepaw raised his head, feeling the wind buffeting his fur and pushing it backwards, his body resisting the wind as his amber gaze noticed Blackfoot’s pelt standing atop a rock. His body stood before a short trail downwards, somewhat steep but not as bad as the trail had been behind the remnants of the clans. Each cat gazed past the Shadowclan leader, beyond his jet-black paws and into a forest just below. They weren’t far now, and Bramblepaw could feel their journey finally coming to an end. Even his paws – which had fallen sore due to the lengthy journey through the mountains – had felt revitalized as he saw the oranges and greens down below.  
With a sigh of relief, the cats began to move forward, careful not to fall down any of the steeper rocks as each cat pressed onwards. Their ears had begun to perk again, the deputies of each clan, including Graystripe, remained in the back with their tails raised and their eyes alert.  
The entire mountain previous had practically been dead of life, few mice or even birds had been around, and Bramblepaw was noticing it amongst his clanmates. Many were thin besides the apprentices and queens, who had all been fed to the best of the abilities of the warriors. Even Bramblepaw felt and looked better than his warrior counterparts, they were trying their best to get the clans through on the journey so the youngest and eldest ate first.  
That extended towards the leaders too, Leopardstar looked the most different than when it all started. What had once been extra fat that once was supplemented by the fish only Riverclan ate, was almost all gone. Firestar and Blackfoot, the largest of the four leaders currently, seemed more exposed by their ribcages while Tallstar was looking vastly frailer than the other three leaders. He was the eldest of the four leaders, but he seemed to take that in stride, even if he looked more like a twig that could easily have his back broken by the smallest kit…  
Hopefully Tallstar’s deputy makes for a good leader, Bramblepaw thought with slight worry etching his mind. Tallstar is a good leader, hopefully Moon was right… if the stars are connected and he passes before we get there, then he may find us again. Starclan has us in their care, we can make it.  
Bramblepaw slipped down the trail like a snake, rapid but careful about each of his movements. Making sure not to be too quick to bump into another warrior but not too slow as to block his clanmates behind him from moving up.  
“Oh sweet Starclan.” Bramblepaw glanced up to see that some clanmates were already reaching the bottom, heading out into the newfound forest with their tails raised into the air and smiles of delight spreading across their faces. The apprentice caught sight of Tawnypaw, who had rushed out with her own clanmates to race into the forest. Seeing her smiling and meow with glee was uplifting for Bramblepaw’s heart, the tom feeling his paws touch the soft ground as he let out a long purr and glanced around.  
“Let’s move up a bit further!” Firestar suggested to the other three leaders, his leaf green gaze glancing over all the cats gathered together now. “Let’s find a place to rest, and let our warriors handle the hunting for the clans.”  
“Agreed,” Leopardstar replied, looking proud for her clan having made it to the other side now. Several Riverclan cats howled in agreement and excitement, their eyes gleaming various shades of blue, green, and yellow as they poured forward. With them howled some cats from the other clans, though some howled only in half-heartedness…  
Probably because some clanmates aren’t here to see this, Bramblepaw kept the thought to himself. He didn’t think that should be a reason for their half-hearted natures, Starclan was watching over them for certain… Such a big clan in the stars – however – must have made it difficult to move across the skies. Especially if they were similar to the world they watched over, an entire set of mountains for Starclan to cross? It seemed difficult and Bramblepaw didn’t even want to think about how a journey such as that would entail, but nonetheless, they would be where they were supposed to.  
It wasn’t long until the deputies brought up the rear of the clans, their gazes glowing with excitement and tiredness at the same time. Each cat moved forward in a more spread out mass, their gazes continuing to reveal their excitement.  
They all deserve this, Bramblepaw thought with a small smile on his face, whiskers twitching with amusement as a Thunderclan apprentice leaped up and caught a leaf with a loud purr. No warrior made a motion to stop them from doing such, and Bramblepaw didn’t either. Seeing any cat just enjoy themselves again made his heart beat faster and stronger.  
It wasn’t long until the clans reached a smaller clearing, and while still a bit small for the group of travelers, no one complained as the leaders found a thick branch to sit upon, their howls raised to gather the attention of the remnants. Their gazes were brought down to their respective clans, though some cats mingled together with their heads raised and pride in their eyes for getting through the mountains in one piece.  
“We gather today – in this clearing – to celebrate passing those mountains and surviving their paths!” Tallstar called out, his whiskers twitching and tail raised as he stood on all four paws. The Windclan leader seemed stronger than before, his pride revitalizing his body and his claws unsheathing to scrape the branches of the bark. “I want our deputies to decide who will hunt, we need all the fresh-kill we can get around here!”  
“I think the rest of us can agree to that, Tallstar,” Firestar replied with a small twitch of his lips.  
“When we are done eating, we will travel a little farther and see if we can find this supposed lake,” Leopardstar added, her ears twitching. Bramblepaw noticed that her gaze had darted between Firestar and her own clan, which were residing just a bit to his right. Her voice was lined with distrust and disgust for the Thunderclan leader, and Bramblepaw narrowed his eyes towards her. If she wasn’t going to trust Firestar’s word, then Bramblepaw wasn’t going to trust her intentions. “I – for one – hope that this lake is worth the trouble it was to get here. Otherwise, we should’ve fought against-.”  
Blackfoot’s tail flicked over Leopardstar’s ear, the spotted she-cat flinching and whirling on the large white tom, her teeth bared at him briefly.  
“Leopardstar,” Blackfoot addressed as he lifted a jet-black paw and then proceeded to lower it. “While I may not exactly be in favor of Firestar – in fact – I don’t like the kittypet much at all…” The Shadowclan leader admitted before his eyes turned to Leopardstar, turning into a piercing gaze as the Riverclan leader lowered her head, her teeth still bared in her snarl. “We have to put our faith in Starclan. I, for one, will trust Firestar with the information he received. After all, he’s the one who went to Mothermouth and spoke with our ancestors.”  
“And what say do you have in this!?” Leopardstar growled, raising her head again as several Riverclan cats slipped away from the others, seeming to remember their hostilities from before. “You were in league with Tigerstar if I remember correctly! You didn’t exactly go easy on my warriors.”  
Bramblepaw’s fur stood on end now, Leopardstar was prepared to fight all the clans and she was starting to become reckless with her words. If she gave the order to attack…   
A long silence filled the air between the cats, Bramblepaw feeling the sparks of war seeding themselves in the moment. His ears perked as he listened intently, waiting for Blackfoot’s response. The Shadowclan tom was just as silent, his eyes less like claws and softening to patches of grass.  
“If I could take back what I have done, Leopardstar, I would.” His response was simple, his ears relaxed and his body not tensing as Leopardstar accused him (or at least implied) horrid crimes. When Leopardstar seemed to refuse to respond, Blackfoot continued to speak. “The boundaries between us will last as long as you and I are alive, Leopardstar. You and I don’t forget easily, so I expect us to fight in the future. But is now really the best time to be fighting?” Blackfoot queried, his tail slowly flicking. “This isn’t the time to bother fighting. If you are that worried about this supposed lake existing, then I can agree to traveling a little further today, if the other two leaders decide the same.”  
Leopardstar brought her glaring gaze to Firestar and Tallstar, who were sitting patiently and waiting for the two to quit bickering… Or for Leopardstar to quit accusing the other leaders of something every few heartbeats.  
“I will agree as long as our medicine cats get time to check over the warriors,” Firestar agreed, his voice distant as if his mind was on other things. “We just made a journey across mountains we have never touched; I think it is best we take the time to rest but if we don’t journey far, it shouldn’t be too bad.”  
“Then it is settled,” Tallstar bowed his head to Firestar and then addressed Leopardstar and Blackfoot. “We will hunt, rest, let our medicine cats do the extra work of making sure the clans are good to go, and then we will move a little further before moonrise.”  
Several warriors breathed a sigh of relief, the tensions would be settled… For now.  
The leaders departed from the branches, the deputies of the clans mingling amongst their clanmates as they got small patrols ready to head out into the forest to hunt. Bramblepaw’s paws itched for a hunt now as well, to release the tension of his muscles from preparing against Leopardstar’s grief-driven threats. While nothing major happened today, Leopardstar seemed to be trying to isolate herself from the clans.  
“Bramblepaw!” Graystripe’s voice rang above the rising sounds of meowing amongst the remnants of the clans, though Riverclan seemed to remain quiet for now.  
The dark tabby glanced up to see Graystripe limping over towards him. “Please join Mousefur and Thornpaw for a hunting patrol, head along the base of the rocks and see if you three can scrounge up anything.” Graystripe leaned down a bit and gave Bramblepaw an amused twitch of a whisker. “Maybe catch something for Firestar too? I think the stress is pricking at his fur lately, a fat juicy mouse might get him in better spirits.”  
Bramblepaw couldn’t agree more. “Of course, Graystripe,” he replied, standing and letting the gray-furred tom limp away. Taking a look around, he was able to spot the brown she-cat and golden-brown tom of her apprentice. Without hesitating a heartbeat more, he joined them.  
“-get your warrior name soon, I’m sure,” Mousefur told Thornpaw with a small smile, though her gaze betrayed how annoyed she was. “Firestar won’t withhold that from you.”  
“I hope you’re right,” Thornpaw sighed. Bramblepaw had forgotten that the apprentice was essentially a warrior at this point, Thornpaw was the eldest of any Thunderclan apprentice and the poor tom still hadn’t been given his warrior name. Even now, Bramblepaw could feel the sense of defeat emanating off the apprentice until Mousefur spoke up again.  
“When we get a new camp set up, I’ll make sure to talk to Firestar… These past few days have been a bit stressful for him,” Mousefur mumbled. “We lost, we had to travel through mountains… Everything is changing,” Mousefur continued, her tail brushing down Thornpaw’s back. “We just have to trust that Firestar will give you the warrior name you deserve when the time comes, we just need a little more patience.” Her gaze glanced up to Bramblepaw and she gave the tom a bright smile, though Bramblepaw could see through it. She was angry, Firestar hadn’t given her apprentice a warrior name, but it was long overdue since Bluestar was the Thunderclan leader.  
I don’t blame him for not thinking about warrior names much, and I guess Brightheart’s original name was a bit more important… Bramblepaw forced a smile back, though he was sure that Mousefur could see through him too.  
“Alright then, let us get to hunting,” Mousefur continued a bit more loudly and with a lot more power behind her voice, flicking Thornpaw’s ear. “Let’s go ahead and catch enough to feed more than just the clan.”  
She’s trying to get him to prove himself to Firestar, Bramblepaw thought with a hint of dread, his ears flicking. Thornpaw seemed to notice but he took the words in stride more than Bramblepaw would’ve expected. “Agreed,” Bramblepaw meowed back as he began to follow the two into the forest, the sounds and thick undergrowth more comforting than the wind and storms in the mountains. Bramblepaw felt warm and at home here… It felt like Thunderclan’s old forest, and a part of Bramblepaw couldn’t help but seethe at the idea of Scourge and Bloodclan ripping up prey in the forest for fun.  
And if Moon was right, that Scourge would return and try to cause another bloodbath… Bramblepaw didn’t know what to think, but he was certain that a cat ancestor like her wouldn’t just lie to him. He wondered just what exactly Scourge thought he could do… How would he know to follow the cats all the way to the lake? By then, their scents would be washed away in the mountains. How could Scourge find his way through those mountains?  
The question occupied his mind as they moved deeper into the forest, Bramblepaw keeping his head lowered as his large paws stepped on a twig, snapping it purely in half.  
“Bramblepaw!”  
Thornpaw’s growl ripped Bramblepaw from his daydreaming, and the young apprentice glanced up towards Thornpaw, who was now glaring at him with hatred. A vision flashed across Bramblepaw’s mind, that of Firestar standing in Thornpaw’s place with his lips drawn into a snarl and his green gaze staring Bramblepaw down, as if waiting for him to attack.  
“I almost had that thrush, you bumbling mouse-brain!” Thornpaw growled, Bramblepaw taking a step back as Thornpaw’s claws unsheathed.  
“Thornpaw!” Mousefur spat quickly, standing up by the apprentice and flicking his ear with her tail. “It’s fine, just… go hunt on your own, okay? I’d like to talk to Bramblepaw, and we can’t come back with nothing.”  
Thornpaw looked bewildered.  
“Go on, I’ll catch up in a bit,” Mousefur purred softly.  
Thornpaw watched her for a moment before he fled into the forest, Bramblepaw sensing his anger slipping further and further into the forest. Bramblepaw lowered his ears and tail, feeling sorry for Thornpaw. His anger was justified, Bramblepaw was certain of that. He just didn’t know how to talk to anyone at this point, and he sighed and sat down on the grass, eyes closed.  
“Sorry, Mousefur,” Bramblepaw mumbled.  
The small she-cat sat in front of Bramblepaw and swiped her tongue over her forepaw, then ran it over her left ear and shrugged. “Let me guess, you were thinking of Firestar? Are you worried about him too?”  
Bramblepaw lowered his head even more. Part of that was right, the implication that he worried over Firestar… but there was more to it that he just didn’t have an explanation for.  
“I think everyone in Thunderclan is worried, I don’t think I could imagine what kind of anxiety that Graystripe, Cinderpelt, and Sandstorm have because of him,” Mousefur continued before letting out a mrrowr of laughter. “They should worry about him, that warrior has been nothing but trouble since he arrived. And being the only warrior to discover Tigerstar’s betrayal? I can’t even begin to imagine how anyone would feel knowing such, and… you? I think you have as much anxiety as he does, being young as you are,” Mousefur added with a softer voice. Bramblepaw wasn’t used to her using a softer voice, Mousefur was usually the badly tempered she-cat of the warriors…  
“I guess so,” Bramblepaw replied, though his voice didn’t contain all of his attention that he should have reserved for the more senior warrior.  
“You have a journey ahead of you, I’m sure,” Mousefur mewed, whisker twitching in amusement. “You are like a kittypet, or at least, I think you’ll be like Firestar.” Bramblepaw glanced up, seeing that amusement in Mousefur’s eyes and he quickly went to defend himself, but was silenced by a solid whip of Mousefur’s tail over his jaw. “What I mean is that you – and Tawnypaw – are outcasts to many other warriors,” Mousefur explained. “Like Firestar, you’ll have to prove that you are worthy of being a warrior of Thunderclan, and I think you’ll make a fine warrior. You have spirit, many of us saw how you reacted to Tigerstar trying to invite you into his Tigerclan.”  
Mousefur almost seemed to spit at the idea of Tigerclan, and Bramblepaw could understand every part of that. Like himself, everyone now hated Tigerstar and the damage he had done. The calamity of his actions had driven the clans so far away from home… A home that could no longer be theirs.  
Bramblepaw didn’t say that part of him also wanted to be with Tawnypaw again, to join Tigerstar just to be with his sister. In the end, it worked out, but something told him there was more to the situation. Was Tawnypaw just as coerced by Tigerstar as many were to him? The large brutal leader had been very persuasive, especially if he was able to offer the entire forest to a rogue clan to think that he would be able to gather everyone together and drive Bloodclan out…  
The she-cat seemed to have noticed Bramblepaw’s quietness and she didn’t stop giving him a warmer smile. “You’re a very strong cat, you have your mother’s heart, I’m sure,” Mousefur purred. “You can go ahead and talk to me, you know,” she added hastily. “You’re leaving me nothing to chew on here.”  
“I… um… sorry,” Bramblepaw sighed and thought for a moment before glancing up to the mountain, able to see it barely above the trees. “I just don’t know how to react to all this, so much has happened, and none of it was necessary.”  
“You got that right,” Mousefur replied as she watched the mountain with him, the sun a little past sun-high now.  
“I don’t want Tigerstar’s legacy to define me, I want to prove that I’m the warrior Thunderclan needs,” Bramblepaw continued, his claws digging into the dirt. “I want all that left behind, but I feel like… I feel like Firestar sees him in me.”  
Mousefur paused, letting the words blurt from Bramblepaw’s mouth before responding herself. “I can’t blame him, many of us saw Tigerstar in you. But at the same time, I think Firestar knows best that looks and origins don’t make a cat who they are. He’s a kittypet, and if you told me back when he arrived that Bluestar would’ve made him deputy and very quickly become one of the youngest leaders Thunderclan ever had, I would’ve swiped my claws over your eyes thinking you were blind. I didn’t like Firestar then, Longtail and Darkstripe despised him together, everyone besides a select few thought he would perish in a few moons… And Bramblepaw, we were so wrong.” Another mrrowr of laughter, Bramblepaw shifting his gaze to Mousefur. “Look at him now! Young and still not even at the peak of his power! Another few moons and he will be one of the strongest cats we’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something considering he fought off actual dogs!”  
Bramblepaw shivered at the memory of the dogs, the ones that tore Swiftpaw into a filet and destroyed the right half of Brightheart’s face. He had seen the damage… And he wished he could just forget the blood that Brightheart brought back with her.  
“Firestar has saved the clan more than once and has had a lot of pressure on his shoulders since he first got here,” Mousefur mewed, breaking Bramblepaw of his thoughts on Swiftpaw and Brightheart. “So like Starclan, I think we should put our faith in him. As Thunderclan leader, that weight will never be off him to be great, to be some mythical warrior. The day he finally passes? He will be a legend amongst the clans, even if the result of his work only ended up with us losing the old forest.”  
“I miss our home,” Bramblepaw replied with his head lowering. He hadn’t meant to say it, but he felt compelled by Mousefur’s kindness, he had to speak up about it.  
“We all do,” Mousefur replied, brushing her tail against Bramblepaw’s shoulder. “But keep that head up, you’ll be a great warrior that the clan can be proud of. All that Tigerstar’s legacy stuff? Everyone will forget in a few moons, well… Maybe not Leopardstar, let’s hope she loses those lives, huh?” Mousefur snickered, standing up and shaking out the rest of her fur. “Alright, enough talk, hop along now. And I want you to catch as much prey as you can! No holding back… and no daydreaming!”

***  
Bramblepaw returned with two mice and a vole, having found the vole drinking at a river. All three pieces of prey were a bit on the fatter end for being so close to leaf-fall. Bramblepaw set the prey on a large fresh-kill pile amidst the clans, quickly noting that Thornpaw and Mousefur had returned early. Thornpaw was with the other Thunderclan apprentices and Brightheart, and Mousefur was talking amongst the small group of Thunderclan and Windclan warriors, excitedly talking about what they were hoping to see at the lake.  
Feeling as though he fit in neither of those groups, Bramblepaw took one of the mice from the pile, not caring whether it was one he brought back or not, and moved to the edge of the clearing. He could feel some eyes staring at him, though he paid them no heed, not wanting to start something else in case it was a Riverclan warrior.  
As he ate, Bramblepaw did his best to keep his mind clear, just letting himself forget even the idea of daydreaming.  
Only when he noticed Firestar walking over to him did he glance up, having already mostly eaten the mouse…  
“What’s up, Firestar?” Bramblepaw asked, trying to sound natural though thinking he had failed in that regard too. Royal screwup and runt, wasn’t he?  
The flaming orange tom flicked his ear, showing his own greeting to Bramblepaw. His eyes were hard to decipher, but Firestar’s fur was flat and he seemed much calmer than he had been in the previous days. Maybe the mountain had stressed him more than the others could’ve thought, but the tom still looked thin… And they had a leaf-bare left to go before they would probably be eating too well.  
Firestar sat beside Bramblepaw, tail brushing over the blades of grass. “I just wanted to let you know that Thunderclan will defend you no matter what,” the tom replied with his head slowly tilting. “I don’t care what Leopardstar says, I don’t care what threats she makes to Shadowclan or Thunderclan for harboring Tigerstar’s kin. We will do what is necessary to keep you protected, you know that, right?”  
“Of course,” Bramblepaw replied as his gaze followed Firestar’s, taking note that Leopardstar was hunched over with her senior warriors, talking quietly. The way the base of her tail fur was on end was showing how annoyed the Riverclan leader was.  
“Good… When we find our new territory, and when we set the new borders, we will start training again,” Firestar meowed. “You have a lot of catching up to do, and while there is still a ways to go until you are a warrior, I want to make you into something Thunderclan will be proud of. And I’m… I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit snappy with you.”  
You haven’t, Bramblepaw thought, but understood what Firestar was trying to say.  
“How was the hunt?” Firestar abruptly asked.  
He wants me to talk to him, Bramblepaw realized, his tail curling around his front paws. “It was a good hunt; I caught a couple mice and vole. Nothing all that impressive, really.”  
“For not hunting much since the old forest, and mostly mountain hunting, I would consider that impressive for any apprentice,” Firestar replied with a light shrug of his shoulders. While the Thunderclan leader seemed thin, Bramblepaw could still see the muscle beneath the layer of orange fur, growing in a thick pelt for the coming leaf-fall. “Even one as young as you are, you’ve only been an apprentice for a few moons, but we haven’t had that much time to train with all that has happened. Dog attack, Bloodclan, mountain traveling… We will change that, I promise on Starclan,” Firestar purred.  
The purr was forced.  
Bramblepaw pretended not to notice.  
“I would enjoy that, Firestar,” Bramblepaw purred in return. “Now you can go on… I’m sure Graystripe and the others are waiting for you,” Bramblepaw pointed out, indicating to where he saw the darker ginger pelt of Sandstorm crouched with two gray cats. “I’ll be okay, I promise on Starclan.”  
Firestar watched Bramblepaw for a moment, but Bramblepaw couldn’t help but think that in Firestar’s gaze was some doubt.  
Doubt about what? That Bramblepaw wasn’t okay… or that he wasn’t loyal?  
Bramblepaw didn’t want to think about that, he had enough of thinking like that lately. Even before Bloodclan, it had been too much, and it was unnecessary stress that weighed on his mind. Tigerstar was dead, the visions Bramblepaw had were nothing but his imagination. A very active, nightmarish imagination…


	14. 12: Ashes

Leopardstar’s call rang through the small clearing of cats, her voice carrying with it authority and commanding respect, something Bramblepaw found himself hard of giving to her. The she-cat irked the apprentice now, even her smooth fur and upstanding posture as she stood along the lower branches of the tree just made Bramblepaw’s fur ruffle up. Bramblepaw had no trust in the Riverclan leader left, his dark tabby fur forced to smooth over and his amber gaze narrowed darkly to Riverclan’s spotted leader.  
“Cats of all clans! We are now traveling closer to the lake; we cannot make many extra stops like we have done now.”  
Several cats looked up towards the spotted she-cat, eyes glaring her down. Bramblepaw felt surprise itch at his paws, his claws digging into the dirt as he sat up straight, prepared to combat the leader’s words for how mouse-brained they seemed. Not many extra stops? Everyone was tired! The mountains they had trekked through had been hard on everyone, Bramblepaw’s paw pads were sore and had been prone to bleeding throughout the climb, let alone anyone else who had also been hurt. They had only just reached a forest, a place filled with fresh prey, what were they supposed to do? The medicine cats had it hard enough…  
“I agree.”  
Bramblepaw’s ears perked as he glanced to the fiery orange pelt of Firestar’s, the green-eyed tom hopping onto a similarly low branch like Leopardstar and casting his gaze towards the clans. Unlike Leopardstar, Firestar’s mere presence suddenly commanded attention. His pelt was the flame amongst the cats, bright and comforting along with his voice.  
“Leopardstar has a point, too many extra stops and we might risk something undesirable, especially since the half-moon isn’t that far away.” His eyes turned attention towards Cinderpelt – Thunderclan’s popular medicine cat – as he spoke again. “Keeping up with our customs are going to be difficult, and I don’t think Mothermouth will be a popular journey for sharing tongues with Starclan. Have any of the medicine cats had a sign?”  
It was almost… eerily silent, Bramblepaw watching as the medicine cats glanced to each other before shaking their heads, Cinderpelt speaking up amongst the batch with her left ear flicking.  
“No, I have not received a message from Starclan since all this journeying began. We are clueless, but we must find a replacement for the Moonstone,” Cinderpelt meowed as the other medicine cats quickly agreed with her. “Without this replacement, we will only be able to talk to Starclan on rare occasion that they actually share our dreams down here, but the half-moon ritual has always been important. Plus, Blackfoot needs to receive his nine lives in order to become Blackstar,” Cinderpelt added.  
The Shadowclan leader had no comments to make until now, his large body leaping to a higher branch as he had his own gaze on the medicine cats grouped together. “Even if I didn’t receive my nine lives, I would not hesitate to be able to lead my clan,” he responded, almost as if defending himself.  
“We know, Blackfoot,” Mudfur rasped. “But it is custom that a leader be gifted nine lives, and you are well overdue for that. We can’t place blame on anyone but Tigerstar.” Mudfur paused a moment, but continued when no one chimed in, the mere name of Tigerstar throwing the rest of the cats into silence. Bramblepaw could feel their hatred… He hoped it wasn’t directed to himself. “Tigerstar was evil, but he was smart too. He used Bloodclan against us, and even if he lost, we lost too. Our home is gone, but we at least have our customs and rituals with us. Things just… have to change. Nothing stays forever.”  
Blackfoot narrowed his gaze, albeit relaxed his shoulders as he bowed his head to Mudfur. “That… is good wisdom,” he admitted. Opposite his reaction was Leopardstar, whose claws had begun to shred into the bark of her branch.  
“Do not dare give that flea-brained tom a name!” she hissed at Mudfur. “He did nothing but ruin the clans for his own sadistic pleasure when controlling all four clans failed! Tigerstar earns nothing, he deserved to perish the way he did! I was excited when I watched him die, Starclan held no mercy for a traitor, and neither should anyone else!”  
“Calm down, Leopardstar,” Firestar butted in, Leopardstar’s gaze turning to the leader as her shoulders hunched and her body lowered, but not in submissiveness. The Riverclan leader was preparing to attack Firestar. “There is no reason for us to be fighting, it is leaf-bare, any injuries we sustain can lead to catastrophic consequences later-.”  
“Enough,” Tallstar growled as his lithe figure appeared beside Firestar. “Leopardstar, stand down or I will be forced to step in.” The Windclan leader stood tall, and all three leaders were watching Leopardstar as her spotted fur remained on end.  
The Riverclan leader was outmatched, she may be able to fight Firestar one-on-one, but she had no chance against the three of them together. She was alone, maybe even in her thinking, but Bramblepaw wasn’t sure on that. What was left of Riverclan had drifted away from the rest of the clans, solidifying their allegiance to Leopardstar. They had seen the horrors that Tigerstar had committed against their clan, and those memories were fresh in their minds. The full moon had come and gone, and almost half a moon had passed since they left… Bramblepaw felt pity for Riverclan.  
“Let’s get going,” Leopardstar growled lowly before sliding off the branch and stalking off towards the trees, away from the mountains in the direction they were planning on going.  
A heartbeat of pause until the clan cats stood and followed in her direction, Riverclan the first to fall in step behind their leader. Bramblepaw bounded forward, wanting to be near the front of his Thunderclan clanmates, as the other three leaders fell in line together, starting to talk quite a distance behind Riverclan’s back.  
“Leopardstar is starting to get ideas,” Blackfoot growled lowly to Firestar, standing on the right of the three leaders while Firestar took center. “If she decides to attack us when we settle into the territories, I won’t hesitate to rip her to shreds.”  
Firestar bowed his head. “I respect that, but I do not want to wage war over wounds created from Tigerstar’s claws,” he meowed in response. “And if she risks open war in leaf-bare, we could all be hurt, but Riverclan most of all. They are weaker from Tigerstar’s reign than the rest of us, I saw what happened at Bonehill.” Blackfoot lowered his own head, but it seemed more out of shame than respect. “Leopardstar is willing to risk what little of her clan is left for the sake of killing off everything good Tigerstar created.”  
“She will be after Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw,” Tallstar pointed out, his whiskers twitching. “If she really wants to destroy everything Tigerstar created, those will be the first two she goes after. You’ll both have to watch your borders.”  
“Agreed,” Blackfoot meowed. “I won’t let Leopardstar take Tawnypaw, she’s a very good apprentice and…” Blackfoot paused, his gaze landing on Firestar as they padded forward slowly.  
“Don’t look at me like that,” Firestar meowed, not bothering to meet Blackfoot’s gaze. “Tawnypaw made her choice, and I get why. Many Thunderclan cats treated her poorly for her kinship to Tigerstar, if she doesn’t feel safe in Thunderclan then she can stay in Shadowclan. Just do me a favor, Blackfoot.” Firestar finally turned his head to Blackfoot. “Protect her with everything you have, give her the necessary skills she needs to fight Riverclan if this ever comes down to war.”  
Blackfoot showed surprise, his ears rapidly flicking at Firestar’s words. “Of course, Firestar, I was always planning on that. Tawnypaw is a valued member of Shadowclan.”  
He didn’t think Firestar would just let Tawnypaw go like that, Bramblepaw deduced, still walking alongside his clanmates with his ears perked forward to listen in.  
“That is what I like to hear,” Firestar replied as he moved his vision back to the Riverclan cats walking a bit ahead of the larger group. “Tigerstar’s kin have done nothing wrong, and if they die, we lose out on a strong bloodline of cats. Tigerstar was evil, his kin don’t have to be.” There was affirmation in his voice, a conviction that Bramblepaw hadn’t heard in a while. Not since…  
The talk the night before the massacre.  
Bramblepaw lowered his ears, remembering sitting atop the little hillside overlooking Fourtrees, before the blood… Before Tigerstar offered a place in Tigerclan… Before Bloodclan slaughtered the only clans left in a successful attempt to control the forest. Firestar talked to him that night, he had showed compassion when so few others in the clan could even consider doing such. But since losing that battle, Bramblepaw couldn’t help but notice that Firestar had changed in an eerily similar way to Bluestar. While he looked somewhat more sane, Firestar had the demeanor that Bluestar had once taken. Glaring around, almost as if distrusting those around him.  
Am I not trustworthy enough? Bramblepaw shook his head, Firestar had already talked with him earlier. Firestar wouldn’t lie to him, would he? Bramblepaw was having doubts…  
“I’ll admit I have done things I shouldn’t have,” Blackfoot meowed. “I will put my clan first, even if it means I will still not end up in Starclan when it is my turn to join the stars.” His tail thrashed, as if… afraid of the thought.  
“If you do that, I’m sure Starclan will accept you amongst their ranks,” Firestar assured.  
“I would love to believe that,” Blackfoot replied cautiously. “I’m not so sure, with all these changes going on, that such will be the case when it happens.”  
“How about we drift away from this talk of death, huh?” Tallstar offered, re-adding his voice back into the conversation. “We will not benefit from talking about our deaths, and you two are far younger than I am,” Tallstar pointed out with the slight tilt of his head. “Both of you have long leaderships ahead of you, so how about we stop trying to make me sound old?”  
Firestar’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “Oh yes, the good ol’ days sound great, don’t they?” he mrrowr-ed with laughter. “Nothing more than border skirmishes involving only a death or two on any given season. If only!”  
“A much simpler time, indeed,” Blackfoot replied with a light-hearted flick of his tail along Firestar’s shoulder. “When a kittypet somehow got into Thunderclan, and Shadowclan was the strongest clan in the forest!”  
“Don’t count yourself too highly there,” Tallstar countered, though Bramblepaw could hear the lighthearted tone the Windclan leader had taken for the conversation.  
Blackfoot’s white fur fluffed out momentarily, spitting at Tallstar with almost apprentice-like spite.  
“Alright you two, calm down, we don’t need kits between Shadowclan and Windclan,” Firestar joked, both the other two leaders immediately whirling in surprise at such words. Their furs were hot with embarrassment, their tails now beginning to thrash as their playfulness seemed at an end now. The Thunderclan leader made no other movement to show he even regretted his words, whiskers twitching and eyes glowing with a light pride that Bramblepaw hadn’t seen in a while.  
At least he seems better, Bramblepaw thought to himself. Or… is it all a front? Bramblepaw narrowed his gaze as he watched Firestar, but found nothing that could imply what he thought. Something nagged at the back of his mind, a branch tugging against his fur, a thought he couldn’t quite complete yet.

***

“Up ahead!”  
Leopardstar’s voice carried over the clans, surprising for how far ahead she was in comparison.  
The clans moved up a small slope, Riverclan having already stopped atop the slopes and their gazes casting out over a sunset in the distance. Bramblepaw scrambled up the slope, his ears perked and his eyes watching the sunset for a moment before glancing down, seeing what Leopardstar had called for.  
Just below the horizon, not very far at all, was a huge sprawling blue lake, rays of oranges, purples, and blues reflecting off the surface of the water. A crystal clean lake surrounded mostly by forests along the far and right sides. A pine forest was visible opposite the cats, its shadows containing a great many secrets one might discover. The oak forest to the right had a thick canopy, though many leaves had since fallen to the ground now that leaf-bare was swinging in with full effect. Along the far left were plenty of reeds, along with what seemed to be two streams flowing directly into the lake. And the closest side, a huge chunk of territory, was moorland.  
I wonder if this is what they wanted us to find, Bramblepaw wondered, staring in awe at the natural landscape. Outside of the territories, especially the close side from the moorland, there were a few easily spotted twoleg nests that dotted a vast landscape. Twolegs… So they thrive here too, but it doesn’t seem like many come around this way, Bramblepaw noted, glancing over to Firestar, whom of which had joined in watching with the other clans.  
To Bramblepaw’s dismay, Firestar’s eyes had returned to their darker nature, the leader standing tall but his lips twitched in a slightly altered frown with his ears pointed forwards. The fiery orange fur was flat, and the Thunderclan leader remained exceptionally calm.  
Without a word to anyone else, Firestar glanced to the other three leaders.  
“We will send a patrol at sunrise to explore the lake territory,” he told them with the light flick of his tail. “For now, our clans need to rest, I think we can all agree that isn’t up for debate.” While Leopardstar glared down Firestar with a burning hatred, she remained silent on the matter. “Good, let us find places to get some good sleep. When the patrol leaves in the morning, we can also send out other patrols for hunting.”  
It’s like he grew wiser in such a short amount of time, Bramblepaw realized, finding that as young as Firestar was, the tom was already starting to sound a bit more elderly. The way he framed his voice was similar to Bluestar’s. I guess losing the war against your sworn enemy makes you numb to failure…  
Slinking back into the undergrowth of the trees, Bramblepaw sat down and listened to the gentle whisperings of the cats outside as excitement quickly burned through them like wildfire.  
Without bothering to get moss, Bramblepaw just lay directly on the grass, his long fur feeling heavy like his eyes. The amber glow disappeared, the apprentice calming his breathing and listening to the sounds of speaking cats beginning to drift away as waves of black water claimed his waking breath, the tom quickly slipping into the world of dreams…  
A gentle touch made Bramblepaw’s ear twitch, his eyes remaining closed.  
“No… let me… let me sleep some more… Just a little longer…” Bramblepaw mumbled under his breath, drawing a paw over his whiskers while his ears pinned back. There was another soft touch of his ear, as if a tick had begun to nibble below the fur, and Bramblepaw shook his head, shaking off the odd sensation with a loud yawn and opening his eyes.  
For a moment, the apprentice knew not where he was, his amber gaze drawn to the soft fluttering of a bright blue and black butterfly moving past his face. That must have been what had awakened him, but Bramblepaw still felt heavy, his body feeling as if it was prepared to fall at any moment.  
Glancing around, Bramblepaw realized specific trees were appearing in his view, trees he had seen before. The familiar scent of the undergrowth, the bushes and flowers of green-leaf, and the long tread paths of warriors – of many countless warriors… Bramblepaw stood up on all four paws, recognizing this place as the path to the training hollow, back in the old forest. Something called to him, his eyes slowly glazing over before he blinked away the tiredness.  
It’s nothing but a dream… I fell asleep, that’s all it was… Bramblepaw told himself, slowly shaking out his dirty fur and sighing in defeat. “Mouse-dung,” he muttered before blinking. His voice was just slightly higher pitched, his body felt smaller too. “That dream must have really screwed with my head,” Bramblepaw muttered again, padding along the trail back to the camp.  
No Tigerstar to worry about, just a nice clan life… What was that dream about anyways?   
Bramblepaw stood atop the rocky face overlooking the camp entrance, his tail raising a bit at the thought of seeing everyone again. Goldenflower was probably worried sick about him, he didn’t know how long he had been out… The sun was high, when did he fall asleep on the path to the training hollow? Would Firestar be mad he hadn’t showed up? Or was he already done with training for the day? His paws certainly felt like he had been battered day and night until he had perfected his training.  
Drawing in the scents, something bitter stung the roof of his mouth as he drew in the scents. It was familiar, a pang harsh enough that Bramblepaw had few associated memories with it.  
Cries of cats began to fill his ears, leaves drifting in front of his face and covering his visuals of the camp as his body tensed.  
“T-Tawnypaw!?” Bramblepaw called out. “G-Goldenflower! Firestar!”  
Batting away the leaves, Bramblepaw pushed forward, not realizing his mistake until his paws caught air and he plummeted downwards. Eyes wide, Bramblepaw tried to listen as the world seemed to slow around him, his descent captured in the moment as his gaze glanced to the rocky outcrops of the cliff face, several cats caught in the motion of trying to climb away from the camp. A red haze filtered any visual, Bramblepaw’s fur feeling singed with flame as he spotted Firestar’s orange pelt below.  
“Go! Get to Sunning Rocks!” Firestar called out; his eyes bright as he nudged others towards the cliff. Bramblepaw glanced to the entrance, and as no one else came out, he noticed that Firestar had already started climbing.  
“Where’s Bramblekit!? And Yellowfang!”  
The voice felt familiar, yet different at the same time. Bramblepaw tried to twist his body in the air, but it remained unresponsive, and his mind swirled with confusion.  
Bramblekit…? I’m not a kit anymore, Bramblepaw thought as he tried desperately to change his trajectory, the sluggish fall only making him feel sick. The red haze burned a sunlight orange, Bramblepaw’s body moving from sluggishly sick to intrepidly quick in a matter of heartbeats. Bramblepaw slammed into the ground, groaning as he felt his back and left side burn. In that heartbeat, he had blinked, the world changing from a hazy red to an ashen white filter, almost like snow, and the young tom slowly and awkwardly sat up.  
His back cracked as he stretched it, then glanced around, gazing up towards the top of the rock face. No cats were there, and the rocks were coated in a layer of white ash. A ripple of sadness marked Bramblepaw’s heart, and he lifted a paw, watching as the cool ash fell, piling back onto the ground where Bramblepaw had lain.  
The Thunderclan barrier was mostly gone, exposing the encampment to a gust of wind blowing white flakes into the camp. Following the wind, Bramblepaw padded into the ashen camp and glanced around, his ears perked and his gaze solemnly watching the devastated world around him.  
He had already realized that this wasn’t his real world. The dream world was showing him more now, and Bramblepaw was willing to see what it was showing.  
The familiar and bitter scent of Yellowfang filled Bramblepaw’s nose momentarily, before that too, had slipped away into obscurity.  
The fires that destroyed our home, Bramblepaw thought as he looked around, noting that nothing was left of the camp. The apprentices den was slumped down, a huge hole exposing the sunlit rays into where the apprentices would have slept. The warriors den was just as bad, only a bigger pile of dust and ash. Only the medicine den and the leader’s den were kept intact, but the scorch marks scarring both rocky overhangs didn’t provide much hope to Bramblepaw’s mind.  
“So… What am I meant to take from this?” Bramblepaw asked as he looked above to the bright blue sky, noticing a raven circling above the camp. “What words of wisdom should I take from this horrid dream?” Bramblepaw continued, his voice feeling slightly more natural. “That things change?” Bramblepaw pressed as he stomped his paw against the ground, feeling his chest heave as he fought against his anger. “That things get better? Or will it all only get worse? Will we survive or will we die fighting those stupid twolegplace cats?” Bramblepaw’s throat couldn’t sustain the growl any longer. “Are we going to get past all this!?”  
“No need to be so angry…”  
The voice was soft and Bramblepaw whirled around in a heartbeat of pure terror, his eyes wide as his paws shoved ash everywhere around him. Directly in front of him was a cat he didn’t recognize, her calico fur was spotted and her gentle yellow eyes met his own.  
“Who are you…?” Bramblepaw asked tentatively, his voice cautious in case this cat had allegiance with Tigerstar.  
“I’m a friend of Firestar’s,” the she-cat purred softly. “Though I wasn’t around for very long to help him on his quest… I have come to you just to talk.”  
Bramblepaw kept his eyes narrowed. “What’s with this dream?” he meowed.  
“This dream… It was meant to be a lot nicer than it was,” the spotted she-cat admitted, glancing around. “I find this silence eerie, is it not?” she pointed out, glancing to all the ashen dens and hollow. “A fire devastated the clan, it destroyed so much, yet Thunderclan survives under its current leadership,” she continued. “A world without the clans is a dangerous world indeed, but things like death and life are normal. You could say the clans have already died once.”  
“Already died once?” Bramblepaw queried, his voice not hiding any of his surprise at her words.  
“Of course,” the she-cat purred. “As soon as the clans had to leave the forest, they stopped being the clans. They began to help each other, even if some were too stubborn to see that it was better this way.”  
Leopardstar.  
“But now those clans will be reborn,” the spotted she-cat continued, her tail raised and her ears perked towards Bramblepaw. “There will be new alliances, new cats joining, and everyone will be helping rebuild the clans from the ground up. Four clans will survive, they made it out of Bloodclan’s grasp, and Tigerstar’s fury, and much more. They can become strong again, even through leaf bare. Starclan is watching everyone with hope, Bramblepaw, even you.”  
“Why me?” Bramblepaw asked, his tone low as he shuffled his paws awkwardly together and his tail lowering. “Why did I hear those words when Firestar didn’t? And why did I see Moon when Tawnypaw couldn’t?”  
Calico fur moved gently with another gust of wind, the ash slowly rising in the air, swirling around her. “The world is a mysterious place, young one,” the spotted she-cat purred. “You’ll be okay, I promise, Bramblepaw. Starclan will watch over you, trust me… Goldenflower’s eye hasn’t stopped watching you since you left.”  
The thought comforted Bramblepaw, his gaze raising just in time to see the she-cat disappear into smoke. His ears relaxed, swiveling to the sides a bit more to show his comfort. Maybe the old forest was gone…  
This new forest would be his home.  
And he was going to defend it at any cost.


	15. 13: Stream

Bramblepaw returned from his hunting patrol with his jaw filled with fresh prey. Without cats to regularly hunt these areas, even for early leaf-bare, prey was plentiful in this forest. Here, the cats were strangers, and the group was small enough without the many who were in Starclan that feeding them was much easier and simpler than Bramblepaw first would’ve guessed. The first day had passed, the clans remaining in a small clearing as they awaited word from the patrol that had gone to scout the lake. The deputies to Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan had gone as well as Mousefur from Thunderclan, since Graystripe’s injury was one of the major reasons that the clans had taken so long to move past the mountains. Injured paws, lengthy walks, and everything in between had made these cats feel like they didn’t belong in the mountains. They most certainly hadn’t, and all the survivors seemed to be recovering well from the journey.  
There wasn’t much left, but seeing the four clans gathered together made Bramblepaw’s heart flutter slightly, a wave of pride in surviving this long made him feel giddy with excitement. Claws outstretched, his amber gaze glowing for what seemed like the first time in seasons, and his fur puffed out yet freshly cleaned from that morning.  
While he still hadn’t a clue what to make of the previous night’s dream, Bramblepaw felt that good omens were coming his way. He padded over to the pile of fresh-kill, dropped two mice, a vole and a sparrow onto the pile, before turning away and glancing around again, his gaze searching for the congregation of his own clanmates.  
It was still difficult to tell where the clans had begun to separate, but it wouldn’t be too long until they were doing so. With the patrol due back by that night at the latest, Bramblepaw would expect that they would travel and split somewhere along the moors just below the hillside. With his ears perked and his eyes fully open, Bramblepaw trotted over towards a small grouping of clan cats that were talking amongst each other. Graystripe was with a couple of the medicine cats, along with Firestar and Sandstorm. The small group was reminiscing in older days again, but they seemed more upbeat than Bramblepaw had anticipated.  
“I remember when you two would keep crossing Thunderclan borders like it was your business!” A long-furred brown tom let out a mrrow of laughter, his gaze bright as they were on Firestar and Graystripe. “First you both bring back Windclan, then you feed Riverclan in its time of need, the both of you will definitely become legends later down the line. I wouldn’t be surprised if future warriors will be based on you two!”  
“I’d certainly hope not,” Sandstorm nudged Firestar, who was close enough to almost get knocked into the long, gray-furred best friend. “Graystripe eats like no tomorrow will come and Firestar keeps butting into other clan’s business! Maybe it has been for the better, but the two of them have certainly caused more trouble than they might be worth!”  
Firestar shrugged, but his twitching whiskers showed that he wasn’t missing amusement. “Maybe I have caused more trouble than I might be worth but the clans are stuck with me now, I’ve got nine lives and a claw to pick with life,” Firestar meowed as Bramblepaw padded up.  
“Oh, Bramblepaw! You’re just in time for us to make more fun of these two,” Cinderpelt snickered, her ears pricked and the Thunderclan medicine cat sitting tall. “The stories we could tell are certainly fresh, the fact that the two of you are unbothered by it makes it less fun to poke my claws at you!” Cinderpelt unsheathed her claws, poking Graystripe’s shoulder. “And you should be laying down anyways! Even Mudfur can agree with me on that.”  
“Of course,” the brown tom replied, dipping his head with his lip visibly curled upwards. “That leg looks really painful still,” Mudfur continued. “I sure do hope we have the herbs we need here, or else we are going to have to start experimenting with new herbs. That doesn’t exactly spell out fun now does it?”  
Cinderpelt’s blue eyes met with Mudfur’s and she gave him a smile. “If Starclan has led us to a place like the lake, then I think we can find the herbs we need. We shouldn’t have to worry too much.”  
Bramblepaw glanced away, his eyes meeting more with the lake and watching as the sunlight cast white glows along the calm blue waters. They were so close, waiting for the patrol to get back. What would they have to say about the lake? Bramblepaw’s curiosity made him wish he could have gone himself, especially to see what seemed to be an oak forest to the right of the pines across the lake. Already, from here, he could see where the clans could generally establish borders, but he would still have to wait for the patrol…  
And as if on cue, a patrol of four cats seemed to return from the trees just below the small hill overlooking the lake. Each cat’s eyes glowed with satisfaction, their gazes searching around for the leaders. Firestar had taken notice, his tail flicking for Graystripe and Cinderpelt to follow. Nearby, Blackfoot and Tallstar had been talking amongst themselves, Mudfur leaving the Thunderclan grouping and joining Tallstar as they made their way down to the patrol. All their eyes were lined with curiosity, their furs relaxed and their tails slightly raised in greeting of the patrol. It wasn’t long until they disappeared – along with Leopardstar begrudgingly following – away from the clans and into a small section of the forest.  
Talk amongst the clans quickly took over, hushed whispers excitedly wondering what the patrol had found. Could this possibly be the promised land Starclan had told Firestar of?  
Bramblepaw was sure of it, and he glanced around. It felt like there were more cats here than there should have been. His amber gaze tried to focus on the warriors, some had scents he couldn’t recognize, their hushed tones echoing in his ears but he couldn’t quite make out the words that they were speaking. A loud ringing entered Bramblepaw’s ears for only a few brief heartbeats, and as he blinked, some of the cats were just gone.  
Shaking his head out, Bramblepaw felt the flick of a tail against his ear, turning and glancing to see the familiar calico pelt of Tawnypaw’s  
“What do you think they found?” Tawnypaw asked with the slight tilt of her head, eyes focused on the bushes where the patrol, leaders, and medicine cats disappeared to.  
“I think they found exactly what we needed,” Bramblepaw replied with confusion still on his mind. Who were the other cats…? Could he have heard Starclan’s excitement too? Would Starclan be excited about the new territories? Shaking his head to clear the questions, he focused on Tawnypaw. “From here, it looks like there are four territories that could fit all the clans… Shadowclan and the pines, the two rivers entering the lake to the left would be Riverclan’s, the moor would be Windclan’s, and the oaks would be Thunderclan’s.”  
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” Tawnypaw warned, though even her voice showed some agreement to what Bramblepaw had talked of. “The leaders may want to make a change to that… But if that’s true, we won’t be able to talk much anymore, the clans will still be four. And… I’m still loyal to Shadowclan, no matter what.”  
“I wouldn’t want you to change your allegiance again,” Bramblepaw meowed in return, glancing up to Tawnypaw. Pain seared through his heart, the battle against Bloodclan had been the closest he had been to Tawnypaw since they were nothing more than kits.  
Battling together to take down a bigger cat had been a rush Bramblepaw wished he could experience again. They were separate now, however, and as much as Bramblepaw could go on wishing, that was not a wish Starclan themselves could grant.  
“And I wouldn’t want you to change yours,” Tawnypaw agreed, echoing Bramblepaw’s sentiments. “Besides, our clans will need us, all of us. We will always be the best warriors we can, so let’s get as strong as we can.”  
“That is something we can both do,” Bramblepaw agreed, the rustling of bushes catching the attention of his ears, his eyes turning to see the leaders and the cats who had disappeared then reappear. Firestar’s howl signaled the four clans meeting. Any cat old enough for the meeting was already paying attention anyways, and before Bramblepaw could say anything more, Tawnypaw hopped up on four paws and trotted away towards a group of Shadowclan warriors. Leaving Bramblepaw’s heart broken, the tom just shook his head and watched the clan leaders gather on a set of low-hanging, strong branches.  
“The time has come, our patrol has returned with information on the lake!” Firestar’s voice rang out across the eagerly awaiting small group of cats. Immediately, happy calls and meows rang around the clearing, Firestar and the other three leaders waiting for the meows to die down before continuing. “It seems we can come to an agreement on general territories amongst ourselves,” Firestar meowed, his tail raised lightly to show his agreement.  
Blackfoot spoke next. “The moors closest to us now will belong to Windclan, as they are most comfortable amongst the winds and tall grass.” The small group of Windclan cats voiced their excitement, tails flicking in ecstatic joy while their gazes glowed. “Riverclan will take the reeds and streams between the pines and the moors.” The Riverclan warriors seemed less overjoyed, but their whiskers twitched and they bowed their heads politely. “Shadowclan will be living amidst the pines on the far side!” Blackfoot seemed more pumped about this information; probably glad no other clan seemed to want the pine trees. And Shadowclan was definitely in agreement. Shadowclan quickly stood on their paws, their heads lowered but their stances showing they were proud to have a forest befit their likeness. “And Thunderclan will take the oak forest between the pines and the moors.”  
Tallstar took the speaking position now, head raised high. “Leaders, deputies, and their medicine cats will be talking and meeting along agreed terms to establish defined borders in the coming days.”  
“What about a replacement for Fourtrees?” One cat hollered; it was Mousefur. As young as she was, she was starting to look a bit more elderly with her slight slouch.  
“And the Moonstone?” Oakfur called out, his neck fur standing slightly.  
The leaders glanced to each other momentarily, but Firestar was the first to speak up. “If this is the lake mentioned to me by Starclan, then they will show more visions, lead us to the places where we can do such. For now, we can use this place as our meeting point similar to Fourtrees, until we find a place that is better. As for the Moonstone, the medicine cats may have to wait on more signs and dreams. Is anyone in disagreement?” Firestar posed to the other leaders, and the medicine cats just below them. They all shook their heads collectively, other than Leopardstar, who was glaring Firestar down now. The Riverclan leader hadn’t spoken at all throughout this meeting. “Then it is settled… If you all have had your fair share of the fresh-kill, then I think it is time we start moving.”  
No one disagreed with that either, and the clans slowly began to separate, following their own leaders and their own clans down the hill. The leaders quickly hopped off the branches, taking the slow approach towards the lake like they had done crossing the mountains. A pace they had set together, they would keep together until they split off.  
Bramblepaw followed closely behind his mentor, Firestar taking the lead with his clan in tow. It felt like so long ago that Bramblepaw was surrounded by so many clanmates, what was left made his heart sink again. So many perished in that battle and would never see the lake like they would. Those too old who were left behind were probably slaughtered by Bloodclan without any mercy… Bramblepaw could hope that at least they may have the sense to disappear, live out the last of their moons near the barn. Not that such mattered, even Ravenpaw rejoined Thunderclan due to the information presented to himself. Danger had given a reason for the clans to band together, and now that danger was passed.  
Without another word, Bramblepaw continued to follow in the footsteps of his leader and mentor, his body still sore from the long hike through the mountains but his energy slightly rejuvenated from the knowledge that the lake was good for the four clans to live in. No one had any disagreements so far, either. Luck was on their side…

***

The first of the long walks was practically over, Shadowclan and Riverclan had already disappeared towards the reeds of the left, and Bramblepaw felt somewhat safer without the animosity of Riverclan. With their eyes off him, he felt he would actually be safe, even in the openness of the moorland. Tallstar turned to Firestar and gave a respectful tilt of his head, a goodbye for now. Firestar bowed his head in return, and both leaders turned away from each other, Firestar quickly leading his clan across the grassy moors towards the oak forest that had just been straight ahead.  
Thunderclan’s small force of warriors was barely over half the size of before the battle with Bloodclan, but they were strongly walking towards the oak forest with their heads held high. There was finally some good news to be had, and in stride, Bramblepaw and his clanmates were prepared to go and take the territory for themselves.  
Already, the scent of the trees was familiar to Bramblepaw, even if this place had been completely new to him. Just having the familiar trees relaxed Bramblepaw’s muscles, his body feeling the gentle wind begin to dissipate as the trees appeared closer and closer.  
Home… This is home… Bramblepaw thought as he took a deep breath and let the scent of the trees touch the roof of his mouth. A wave of sadness washed over him, knowing full well many clanmates weren’t alive to see the beginnings of their new home, not with them at least. Bramblepaw wondered how Starclan – of all the clans – was handling this move. If they were desperate enough to see this far ahead, to see other prophecies like the Tribe cat had talked about, Bramblepaw wondered just what had changed. Were all the prophecies gone now just because Bloodclan won?  
Bramblepaw’s claws flexed as they reached a small stream. One-by-one, the cats hopped the stream. Firestar remained behind, coaxing any weaker cats before it finally got to the apprentices. Bramblepaw waited to be the last, his mind wracked with worry as he wondered just what could have been. What… other prophecies were there? Will they still come true, even now? Bramblepaw shook his head to clear the thoughts as he felt Firestar’s tail-tip touch his shoulder.  
“You alright there, Bramblepaw?” the Thunderclan leader meowed lowly, keeping his voice low enough so the others couldn’t hear. Bramblepaw and him were the only ones who hadn’t cross by now, the other warriors waiting on the other side, ignoring them and stepping into the forest with eyes glowing in wonder.  
“Yeah, just…” Bramblepaw didn’t have much of an excuse, the truth might have been best… Maybe not the whole truth. “I’m excited to have a new home, but I wonder how Starclan is faring,” Bramblepaw explained quietly. “And… Tawnypaw.”  
Firestar’s eyes flashed briefly, but he gave an understanding nod. The orange-furred leader sat beside Bramblepaw, his whiskers twitching briefly. “When we left, I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Princess, my sister… Actually, not at all. After the battle, everything felt so small.” He shook his head. “So many cats are gone, dead, and they watch over us now amongst the stars. I hope that Starclan is doing well too, they are powerful, they watch over us, so I have to believe they are fine. If this place was where we were meant to be, then I will continue to believe that Starclan found their place in the stars.”  
Bramblepaw dipped his head and took a deep breath, then nodded and shook out his fur as he stood. “Thank you.”  
“No need,” Firestar meowed in return. “I am just happy to see my clan survive this mess. Now go on, we need to keep everyone together.”  
Bramblepaw didn’t hesitate, taking a couple steps back before darting forward and pushing himself up, landing on the other side of the stream with a few tail-lengths to spare. His paws landed on the soft grass, crushing a twig beneath his left forepaw as he stepped forward to take in the scents of the forest again. All that mountain trekking, walking through other forests, his paws felt at home here. This was it…  
He continued to follow his clan, which was slowly spreading outwards but everyone still visible with each other. Firestar took the rear of the clan, his green eyes focused ahead of them but his ears turned to focus on any sounds behind him. Still protecting his clan…  
This territory was new, after all, and Firestar – nor anyone – had no clue what to expect. Bramblepaw ignored most of his surroundings when it came to danger, just taking the time to let himself relax as he listened to the wind above the trees. Against his better judgment, he closed his eyes momentarily. In these trees, he could envision his old home, walking alongside his mother and weaving in and out through the trees.  
When he opened his eyes, Bramblepaw felt… bigger. More matured. He wasn’t the same cat that lived in the forest of before, his pelt was thicker, his eyes darker, his muscles stronger. Bramblepaw was slightly bigger, getting closer to the age of being a warrior. He still had plenty of training, but he knew he wasn’t the same cat.  
The prophecy of brambles weaving with silver also was on his mind too. Bramblepaw had a mission, and if it meant protecting the clans, he was going to take every pawstep closer to the destiny of his as he could.  
I’m stronger, and I’ll continue getting stronger, Bramblepaw thought to himself, opening his eyes and glancing back to Firestar, whose focus was not on Bramblepaw at all. I’ll be deputy one day, and I’ll make you proud, Firestar. I’ll make this clan into something the forest can rely on, and fear if need be.  
Amidst his thoughts, there was a howl up ahead. Sandstorm was standing tall amidst a clearing of trees, each cat quietly slipping into the clearing. There was soft moss and grass here, and Sandstorm turned to look at the other cats, eyes glowing.  
“We can stop here, the sun is setting and I don’t want to fumble around in the dark,” Sandstorm explained as she sat on the grass. “We can find a better place to camp at sunrise, but we should rest.”  
“I agree,” Firestar meowed, loud enough for the other clan members to hear. “We can rest here until the sun rises, and then we can start a search for a better camp. Can the warriors go hunting? We need the prey,” Firestar queried with his head slightly tilted. Most of the warriors stood, Graystripe stopped from standing by Cinderpelt herself, who gave him a furious shake of her head. The large tom only rolled his eyes and found a place to lay down, his shredded leg still wrapped in pulp and leaves. “Alright, I want the apprentices and the injured to rest, everyone else… Get to hunting.”  
Firestar and Sandstorm disappeared into the rest of the forest together, rays of orange sunlight gleaming through the trees as Bramblepaw turned to the other apprentices and trotted over.  
There were only a couple apprentices… Thornpaw was the eldest of the apprentices, well over the age to be a warrior, and with more than the skill to back it up too. Ashpaw sat beside Thornpaw, licking his paw with his gaze low. A deep scent of depression hung around Ashpaw, and Bramblepaw knew why. Unlike Bramblepaw, Ashpaw’s sister didn’t survive the battle, and no longer was Ashpaw here to enjoy the new territory with them. Many weren’t here anymore, and Bramblepaw dipped his head lightly towards them.  
No speaking occurred between the three apprentices of Thunderclan, Bramblepaw slowly curling up in a patch of moss and grass with his eyes half-open. He wasn’t upset anymore, but he could feel the soreness in his paws still. The mountain trek had taken its toll, his paws felt weak and bloody, and he began to groom out his fur slowly.  
Even before the hunting patrols came back, Bramblepaw had already passed out, curled up with his paws and tail clean.  
And his dreams were uneventful.


	16. 14: Silver

The morning sun woke Bramblepaw, burning a searing red through his eyelids. A groan left his throat, but a wave of relief hung over him. His dreams had been uneventful, just a deep darkness that allowed his body a chance to finally rest. Slowly, the tom sat up, parting his jaw widely in a loud yawn before he shook his head rapidly, letting the blood flow to the rest of his body. He placed his forepaws far ahead of him, raising his tail and stretching forward before finally opening his amber eyes and sitting up.  
Licking a forepaw, he swiped it between his ears and realized how stuck up his fur had been. Bramblepaw grunted in annoyance, feeling somewhat more normal again since before Bloodclan introduced themselves. Taking a moment to groom, Bramblepaw continued to smooth out his fur for a while and pick out any ticks that may have gotten beneath his thick fur.  
Such little things… Why do I have to have such long fur? Bramblepaw wondered before standing up and glancing around. Most of the warriors and the other two apprentices were already up and raring to explore, taking in the scents around them as their eyes were wide in amazement. Bramblepaw couldn’t blame them, they had been travelling for so long that the idea of being in their new home was… Odd. Even now, the scents between them all had changed from just being Thunderclan, to a mix of the other three clans that had travelled with them. They didn’t feel like just Thunderclan, and Bramblepaw’s ears lowered as he realized that Tawnypaw still wasn’t with them. Thunderclan was left at half their force, and Bramblepaw was quickly starting to doubt how long they could survive here.  
There were so few of them left. With the filling of the other three clans, Bramblepaw couldn’t see how short on cats they really were. And the other clans must be feeling the same way, they lost a lot in that battle too, some maybe more than Thunderclan did. The story of Mistyfoot and Stonefur made Bramblepaw’s blood run cold briefly, but the young apprentice shook his head and quickly thought about something else.  
Stepping forward, Bramblepaw felt the warmth of the sun touch the fur along his back, his body feeling stronger already. The soreness had passed, and Bramblepaw’s eyes gazed around at his clanmates. Since most were already up, he expected to hear about their next steps soon. A new camp would be their first priority, a place to truly call home.  
Bramblepaw noticed that Firestar, Sandstorm, Graystripe, and Cinderpelt were all huddled in a small circle amongst themselves, quietly eating prey from the temporary pile that the warriors had gathered the night before. Not much was left, not enough for everyone to eat that morning.  
I’ll skip, Bramblepaw decided as he turned. Immediately, his face was stuffed with short white fur and his eyes were wide. He was too late in stopping his movement, and he accidentally walked into Brightheart.  
Quickly stepping back, Bramblepaw stood as tall as he could, his ears back. “S-Sorry!” he meowed, his tail flicking momentarily before he licked his chest in pure embarrassment. Then he noticed that Brightheart hadn’t given him even a moment’s thought, instead, she pushed herself forward. Her body weight was shifted more towards the ground, and Bramblepaw glanced to see that her stomach was quite rounded.  
Kits…  
Bramblepaw shook his head to clear his head, gaining his confidence as he placed his tail tip along Brightheart’s shoulder. “Hey, you okay?” he quietly asked the distant she-cat, noticing her one eye was staring at something only she could see. At his touch and voice, her blue eye went from clouded to present, and she glanced to him with a slight frown lining her lips.  
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just… I don’t know,” Brightheart mumbled, quickly looking down and away from Bramblepaw with her eye trying to look away from him entirely.  
Bramblepaw could already guess what was on her mind. She was a bit younger than most were prepared to be having kits, most would wait until later in their warrior careers to do so… “Thinking about Cloudtail?” Bramblepaw cautiously queried, lowering his voice so that others wouldn’t hear.  
Brightheart was silent for a few heartbeats, but quietly responded in a nod.  
“Yeah, I miss him… he should be here with me,” Brightheart mewed lowly, her gaze remaining away from Bramblepaw.  
“I’m sure he is watching over you now,” Bramblepaw replied with a little enthusiasm, pricking his ears up, though he was uncertain if Starclan could take in a cat who didn’t believe in them. Cloudtail made his voice heard about the beliefs of Starclan, but even then… he still died protecting his clan to the best of his ability. “Don’t worry too much, we have a new territory to explore today… How about we explore together, Brightheart?” Bramblepaw offered with the light tilt of his head.  
Brightheart gave him a small smile, slowly sitting and turning her one-eyed gaze behind them. Firestar had stood up, his green gaze glowing with what had seemed like some sort of pride. His whiskers twitched with some liveliness to them, his eyes gazed at what little remained of Thunderclan, and he smiled.  
Hopping onto a low branch, Bramblepaw could hear the Thunderlclan leader’s call to action.  
“Cats of Thunderclan, come to me and hear my words!” Firestar howled.  
It wasn’t the usual call for a clan meeting, but these were unusual circumstances.  
The few who were still asleep had awoken, and now sat along the edges of the small hollow they had taken refuge for the night in. And those who were already awake shifted themselves closer, eagerly awaiting their leader’s words. Brightheart seemed to brighten up a bit at Firestar’s howl, and she patiently awaited his words.  
“This is our territory now,” Firestar began, standing tall on the branch. While he looked thin, the leader remained muscular and strong. “Thunderclan will begin to rebuild from the past. We have a new territory, a new future, and nothing can stop us now. We will remain warriors of the forest, and while it may not be our old home, this new home will give us exactly what we need! Sandstorm, your hunting patrol found something last night, mind telling everyone what you found?”  
Sandstorm’s softer ginger fur appeared as she hopped up to one of the lower branches beside Firestar, her ears perked and her tail raised in greeting. She hesitated little to speak.  
“Last night, while on a hunting patrol with Brackenfur, believe we have found the perfect place for our clan to set up camp,” Sandstorm meowed, everyone listening intently. “There are nearby bushes of thorns we can use to help defend the camp, and there is only one way into the camp. One side of the camp is circled by a sheer rocky surface, too steep for any cat or badger or anything to try and attack from that side.” Sandstorm glanced to Brackenfur and gave him a small nod, the tom hopping up on a separate branch to address the clan.  
The warrior himself was young, strong, and he had a piercing gaze. Graystripe’s tail raised lightly as he lifted his head, seeing his former apprentice become a warrior befit any other.  
“Not only is the camp surrounded by the rocky surface, making it suitable for defense, but the cliff includes small dens. Modifying them with more bushes can extend the dens for later use, and we believe we know where to place each member of each clan. Due to the one entrance, the warriors can sleep near the entrance while the medicine cat, elders, and apprentices sleep closer to the back, leaving them more time to prepare for an attack. There is even a small rocky outcrop with a den near it that our leader can use to sleep as well, and address his clan from a higher place.”  
“Thank you, Sandstorm and Brackenfur, for your presentation,” Firestar gave a small bow to both the warriors. They lowered their heads in return before sliding down to sit by their clanmates. Firestar stood tall again and his gaze drifted over his clan for a few heartbeats before he meowed again. “Sandstorm and Brackenfur will lead us to the new camp. Everyone eat, and then we will leave.”  
Bramblepaw felt a bit annoyed, having wanted to spend the time helping Brightheart but he resigned his feelings and glanced to the calico she-cat with the missing eye. The scars faced towards Bramblepaw, and he shivered at the mere thought of what had happened to Brightheart.  
She was a brave warrior, that was for sure, and Bramblepaw had to admit that she was stronger than she looked.  
He lowered his head a bit. “You should go eat,” he told Brightheart.  
The one-eyed she-cat glanced to him gratefully, slowly standing on all four paws without a word and heading towards the small fresh-kill pile. Since Bramblepaw wasn’t feeling hungry, he began to groom out the knots from his fur again, though he quickly found that he was already washed from the previous two grooming sessions. A small sigh escaped the dark tabby before he stood up and padded closer towards Firestar, who had leaped down and was back to talking with his warriors. Brackenfur had joined them now, and Graystripe’s yellow eyes were beaming with pride.  
Firestar’s gaze locked onto Bramblepaw’s for but a brief moment, and a brief vision of the leader sitting atop the incline just above Fourtrees entered Bramblepaw’s mind. Firestar seemed much better now, but the gaze darkened the longer the stare was held, and Bramblepaw froze in terror.  
Those eyes had quickly become the same ones he had seen on the journey here, the hatred hiding behind the green gaze was unmistakable. Could anyone else see it or was Bramblepaw alone in what he saw? He felt as if this wasn’t possible, just the night before, Firestar had been so much nicer to Bramblepaw. But in one night, just that next morning, that gaze had become something Bramblepaw should fear-  
No, Bramblepaw shook the thought from his mind and unsheathed his claws into the dirt, forcing himself forward, closer to the group of talking cats. Brackenfur’s excitement masked the air around Bramblepaw as he moved to sit beside Firestar, who had now stopped looking at him.  
“The place is absolutely perfect, Firestar! I guarantee this is where Starclan wanted us to be!” Brackenfur spoke with enthusiasm, making Bramblepaw’s heart feel jealous. The apprentice said nothing as the warrior kept speaking. “Sandstorm and I explored every nook and cranny, no back ways in and just the one way to fight, highly defensible positions, it’s just the perfect camp, I can promise you!”  
“Alright, Brackenfur,” Firestar’s whisker twitched in amusement. “I can see that, I’m glad you and Sandstorm are safe, however. If this place is as perfect as you say, then we shall head out soon and never have to move somewhere else again. Hopefully never again…” Firestar added lowly with a small sigh. “The clans shouldn’t have had to move from the forest, but Starclan’s message to me was clear. This was going to happen whether we liked it or not, whether or not we defeated Bloodclan. Hopefully, what would happen to us at the old forest will happen to Bloodclan, a kind of karma.”  
Graystripe lowered his head slightly. “Those crowfood-eaters deserve all the bad luck they can get,” he growled. “They were evil incarnate.”  
Bloodclan was evil, but Tigerstar was something else, Bramblepaw corrected to himself, not saying anything about his father aloud to the other warriors.  
“That, we can agree on,” Sandstorm growled as well, baring her teeth lightly before relaxing the fur along her spine. “Bloodclan took all we had-.”  
“That isn’t particularly true,” Graystripe interrupted with a light sigh as he turned his head to Sandstorm, yellow eyes glowing softly. “We lost a lot of cats, that was going to happen no matter what. Tigerstar wasn’t going to let us leave without death on our claws… Or his own. But we have the remnants of the clans, and we are still a clan ourselves. Maybe not as big, but this territory can feed us for a long time to come, I assure you. A thick forest, not many twolegs it seems, and plenty of warriors to keep us strong. This territory is ours now, the Old Forest is just that. If we have to move… So be it.”  
Firestar dipped his head before his ears pricked, noticing that Bramblepaw had joined in with his own ears perked up. “Well said, Graystripe. If it was inevitable that we came here, then that is what happens. I’m just glad we got here without extra casualties.” The fiery orange tom stood on all four paws and shook the moss and leaves from his pelt, then swiping a licked forepaw over his ear once. “Let’s get going. Graystripe, Bramblepaw, gather the other warriors and tell them we are leaving.”  
Bramblepaw bowed his head lightly before standing and scampering off, feeling his mind swirling with positivity now. At the very least, they seemed to have a camp close by that could work for all of them. Graystripe was right behind him, limping pretty heavily still as they moved deeper into the mass of warriors who were whispering amongst themselves.  
They told each warrior that it was time to go, and they both watched as eyes lit up from each warrior. Just like Bramblepaw, all the negative emotions seemed to be hidden away now, covered up by the idea that they all had a place to stay.  
As Graystripe and Bramblepaw fell in behind the warriors, the young, gray-furred deputy glanced to Bramblepaw and purred.  
“Well would you look at that?” Graystripe meowed. “We seem to have found ourselves in quite a nice forest. At least our elders can look down to us from Starclan,” Graystripe added as he glanced to the sky. Bramblepaw glanced up as well, feeling the soft warmth against his pelt as he breathed in, the deep-rooted scents of the trees feeling… home-like. “Hopefully things calm down quickly enough, you’re quite behind on your training, and I’m sure your paws are itching to learn again.”  
Bramblepaw nodded in agreement. “Yeah… It’s been a while since Firestar and I had a training session,” Bramblepaw meowed back as he glanced ahead this time, seeing the bright pelt of his mentor at the front of his clan. Sandstorm and Brackenfur were with him, leading the charge towards their new camp. “I want to be the best warrior this clan could ever have.”  
There was a slight pause from Graystripe before the warrior leaned down lightly and lowered his voice. “Is it because you want to prove you are not like your father?” he asked tentatively.  
But Bramblepaw didn’t even flinch, his gaze drifting towards Graystripe with his ears perked and his voice strong as he replied.  
“I want Tigerstar’s legacy forgotten, permanently. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that he doesn’t get remembered for anything good, and I will become a warrior this clan can depend on.”  
Graystripe purred again. “A good sentiment… Well, consider me to have your tail on this one. You’re a strong cat, Bramblepaw, and I doubt any other cat will have the drive you do. I… understand it, to an extent.” Bramblepaw’s ears perked again. “When Silverstream and I were mates, I felt torn between my loyalty to Thunderclan, and my loyalty to Silverstream and her kits. When I came back, I had to work hard to gain the trust of my clanmates again, so I worked hard. You’ll work hard, I can see that already.”  
Bramblepaw nodded, hopping over a tree with Graystripe close behind. For being a young warrior, Graystripe was wise, and Bramblepaw had nothing but respect for the yellow-eyed tom. As they hopped back down, he heard a gasp from the front, the group of cats coming out into a clearing. Light streamed between large trees that were high above them, a cliff on the opposite side of the clearing. Bramblepaw felt his stomach become aflutter with butterflies, his paws touching grass that quickly shifted into stone. Several warriors began to sniff around, a buzzing static in the air as excitement scored through the clan cats.  
“Wow… Brackenfur and Sandstorm really did do a good job finding this place,” Brightheart meowed from a few tail-lengths to Bramblepaw’s right. The apprentice bounded forward, his paws against the stone as he glanced around the clearing. Little dips and holes in the walls would make perfect dens, and a jutting stone out from the top…  
Bramblepaw could imagine himself on that stone, his amber gaze watching his clanmates with pride as he took the name -star and became a leader his clanmates could trust.  
I’ll stand up there one day, Bramblepaw promised, turning his gaze away as he watched his clanmates bouncing in enjoyment as they practically stumbled around and purred like little kits. And when I do, I’ll make sure to become the best leader these cats could ever have.

***

Gray stone massed around almost as far as the eye could see. A silver-pelted she-cat stepped forward, her paws light and her ears straining as the wind picked up. Her claws scraped the surface of the rock, her tail straight up briefly before lowering again as she realized she was alone again. A sigh escaped her jaw, which had parted lightly before she took in a deep breath. Still, there was no prey-scent anywhere nearby that she could gather.  
Stepping onto a larger rock, she glanced down the long hill that would lead to a forest below. The sun was halfway through the sky, shining a white reflective light off a lake on the opposite side of the forest. The silver she-cat glanced behind herself, seeing her passage through the mountains that she had just traveled. A winding path was strewn out behind her, a path few had taken and few would ever take.  
Glancing back to the lake, her whiskers twitched with nervousness.  
“A strange place for a lone wanderer.”  
The she-cat practically squealed in terror, her body flipping as she defensively fluffed her shoulder and neck fur. To her left, an elderly ghoulish cat had appeared, no fur was on his pelt and his eyes were bulging with blindness. An aura escaped him that made his presence almost ghastly, and the silver she-cat growled lowly in warning.  
“It’s not strange!” she hissed defensively, whiskers twitching. Her ears were forward now, but the elderly cat’s demeanor lacked that of opposition. His shoulders were slacked, he lacked muscle, his body was rather thin, almost close to revealing his ribcage.  
“A strange marking you have,” the cat pointed out, not seeming bothered by the she-cat’s hostility. “It is not very often that one’s pelt is so clean of markings, and then they have just one on their face that they are born with… Of course, it is not impossible either.”  
“What are you on about?” the silver she-cat continued to growl, slowly shifting her paws as her body moved slowly. She moved to a more stable position, away from the rocky ledge.  
“Nothing important.” The blind cat kept his gaze on the silver she-cat, she unable to suppress a shiver. Anxiety pricked her pelt like thorns, his eyes seemed to be able to see her. Was he able to? “What is your name?”  
“Silver…”  
“Where do you come from, Silver?” the elderly cat asked politely.  
“Why does it matter to you? It shouldn’t matter to anyone,” she spat.  
“You’re quite young to be wandering around on your own like this. How old are you, eight, nine moons? You couldn’t even take a test meant for a sharpclaw.”  
Sharpclaw? What is this geezer on about? The silver she-cat kept her head low, watching him intensely. Her pupils dilated, focusing on him as she kept still now, like she was hunting a mouse. “It doesn’t matter, I’m old enough to do as I please.”  
“You mistake my questions for hostility,” the furless tom meowed calmly. “I am nothing more than a traveling cat myself… Or, I used to be. These mountains remind me of home, all these rocks… Could use a lack of wind-flow, though. Then I would truly feel at home.” His sightless gaze moved away from the she-cat. “You are following a scent… A great many scents,” he continued when the silver she-cat didn’t say anything. Her crystal eyes watched him carefully. “If you go to them, your life will change forever. There will be no turning back, you know. They live under ancestors you could only dream of.”  
The silver she-cat bit back a retort and glanced back to the winding path behind her. Her journey seemed so easy at first, and curiosity got the better of her.  
What will my family think of me when they find out I’ve done this? She questioned herself, doubt fluttering in her mind. At the beginning of the path was a large cave, she had found a beautiful stone in there. It glowed with moonlight, but it had seemed to quickly fade. When she touched it… They told me that I could do great things, that I could become a stronger cat, that I could become something I could never be as a loner.  
She shook her head firmly and parted her jaw to speak, but as she turned back to the furless cat, he was gone.  
With a light growl of annoyance, she hopped back onto the rock, feeling the crisp, icy wind weave through her fur as she gazes down to the lake.  
I don’t know where those cats from the stone came from, but they told me I was destined for something greater. My family can stay behind for all I care, they didn’t care about me. I don’t care about them.  
Whoever those cats down there are, I will make them accept me.


End file.
